Return to the Past
by SSG-Goku3397
Summary: AU... YATTF... The Allied Shinobi Forces are on their last legs. The Jūbi has launched a massive Bijūdama at them. The former Hokage are preoccupied to save them, so Kurama and the rest of the Bijū have come up with a last hope. Now Naruto and Sakura must change history to save the world. Strong!Naruto!Sakura! New Senjutsu Style! Minor crossover with Avatar The Last Air bender!
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Prologue**

The Allied Shinobi Forces were fighting against the Jūbi. The former Hokage were helping as much as they could but with the presence of an immortal Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito, they had their work cut out for them. Madara had kept Hashirama busy while Kakashi was fighting against Obito along with Minato. Hiruzen and Tobirama were helping the Allied Forces handle the mini clones of the Jūbi. The rest of Team 7 that consisted of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had summoned their respective summon bosses. The new toad boss Gamakichi. Aōda, the Snake Boss. Katsuyu, the Slug Boss. The three summons were working in tandem with their summoners to restrain the main body of the Jūbi and take out as many clones as they could.

Naruto was clad in the Kyūbi Chakra Mode, his father giving him the other half of the fox's chakra, as he used the new abilities granted to him by the other Bijū. Lava filled Rasengans; Rasengans with cursed markings like Shukaku, the Ichibi's and Rasenshurikens with lava cores were being thrown about liberally taking out large swaths of clones with every strike.

Violet marking covered Sakura as the diamond marking on her forehead glowed violet. Healing in an instant from every injury, she suffered. With every punch and every kick, she caused the mini clones to explode from the inside.

Sasuke on the other hand was ripping through his targets with a combination of kenjutsu and ninjutsu. Bursts of black flames, waves of powerful lightning and a blade coated in lightning were ripping through the clones. Sasuke easily dodged his opponent's strikes with the help of his Sharingan.

As the three ripped through their enemies, the rest of the Alliance cheered them on. Following their example, they also increased their efforts in bringing down the clones. Among them, Hiruzen and Tobirama watched on with pride as the three lead the charge.

"Those three are something else. Especially the blonde-haired one, you have raised some good Shinobi though the Uchiha still gives me an uneasy feeling." Tobirama said as before he released a pressurized jet of water and cut through some of the clones.

"Believe it or not but those three couldn't work together at first. The girl was the Uchiha's fangirl while the blonde-haired boy had a crush on the girl and hated the Uchiha with a passion. It all changed after their first C-Rank. It became an A-Rank. That really opened their eyes. It is nice to see they are this powerful and coordinated." Hiruzen said as he crushed another clone with his Bo staff.

"That's good and all. I just hope they are up to the task. If they fail, the world is doomed!" Tobirama exclaimed before jumping into a cluster of clones and started ripping through them using the Raijin no Ken. Hiruzen followed his Sensei's example and jumped into another cluster, all the while swinging his Bo staff with force and precision.

The battle continued as the Allied Shinobi Forces worked together to destroy every single mini clone of the Jūbi but they were interrupted when the restrained Jūbi suddenly broke out of its restrains and started gathering chakra to form a Bijūdama. The massive Bijūdama caused everyone to shiver in fright. The resurrected Hokage started forming a collaboration barrier that should stop the devastating attack only for Madara and Obito to interrupt. Naruto and Kirabi went into Bijū Mode, created their own Bijūdama, and launched them towards the approaching one. With a massive effort, they were able to deflect the Jūbi's attack only to see another one approaching.

The whole of the Allied Shinobi Forces watched with morbid curiosity and fear as the ball of death closed in upon them. As they watched on, Naruto and Kirabi were called into the joint mindscape to talk with Bijū.

* * *

"What do you guys need?" Naruto asked with annoyance as he paced about. Kirabi just watched Naruto along with the Bijū. After a few moments, Kurama finally had enough.

"We may have a way to save everyone Naruto." Kurama said getting Naruto's attention.

"What do you mean Kurama? Do you have a way to stop or deflect the Bijūdama?"

"Not exactly, there is a Jutsu father created that will allow the user to send back himself along with one other person to the past. Then you will be able to change events in the past. That is the only way to do this. Either you will have to prevent the Akatsuki from getting their hands on us or you will have to defeat Obito before he resurrects the Jūbi. With me being sealed within you, I will return with you. With the other having entrusted a bit of their chakra to you, when we meet up with them, we can give them their memories of this timeline."

"That's great! What are we waiting for?" Naruto asked with annoyance.

"There is a catch Naruto. This is a one-time deal. You will not be able to use the jutsu again, so you will have only one try to fix everything. We want you to take back you pink haired teammate with you. Kirabi and Gyuki will keep the Jūbi's Bijūdama at bay while you use the jutsu. Do you understand?"

"Sure thing Kurama but I will go alone. I do not want to put such a heavy burden on anyone but myself. I will do whatever it takes to prevent this from happening again!" Naruto exclaimed with determination.

"I will support you as well Naruto. Make sure to teach Madara and Obito the consequences of disturbing the peace." Kirabi said with a grin, not even rapping once. Naruto nodded as he fist-bumped with Kirabi before they vanished from the mindscape.

* * *

Sasuke had summoned his Susanoo and was firing arrows of black flame as he tried to shift the trajectory of the approaching Bijūdama. Beside him, Kirabi was in in Bijū Mode firing a barrage of Bijūdama as well, trying to slow down the approach of the massive ball of condensed chakra. Everyone looked on hopelessly as the ball kept approaching barely slowing down. At the front, right behind the two behemoths, Naruto was kneeling on the ground. He was in Kyūbi Chakra Mode going through hand seals. Just as he was about to finish the seals, he felt someones eyes upon him. Looking up he saw Sakura watching him with curiosity.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I will make sure that I stop this even if it is the last thing I do!" Naruto said causing Sakura's eyes to widen in shock.

" _He can't be thinking about sacrificing himself, can he?"_ The pink haired medic thought to herself as a sad smile formed on her blonde haired teammates face before it became completely stoic. Something she once considered impossible. She watched as a cloak of violet chakra covered Naruto as he continued with the hand seals. Even though she was not a sensor, she could sense the massive amount of chakra Naruto was producing. She knew that he would not survive if he used that jutsu. Without thinking, she launched towards Naruto and clasped her hands around his neck. Her body pressing into Naruto's back.

"Don't Naruto! I don't know what I will do if I lost you!" Sakura said just as Naruto finished the jutsu

"Ninpō: Kako no yūrei!" Naruto said causing Sakura to start in surprise before both of their visions black out as a massive wave of chakra erupted from their position just before the Bijūdama stuck the Allied Shinobi Forces and wiped them out of existence.

* * *

A pair of jade green eyes opened to see a wooden ceiling. The owner sat up and looked around in shock. She realized she was in her old bedroom. One that was destroyed along with the rest of Konoha when Pein attacked. Looking at the mirror on her dresser, she came face to face with a younger version of herself. Thinking that she was in a genjutsu, she gathered her chakra and released it in a burst in hopes of releasing the genjutsu. To her shock, the world did not even waver.

" _WHAT? This cannot be right! Am I dreaming? No, that cannot be right! The last thing I saw was Naruto using some kind of jutsu. I jumped on his back screaming for him to stop and that I do not want to lose him and then he said the name of some kind of jutsu and then my vision went blank and I woke up here. Did I dream all of it up?"_ Sakura thought to herself before shaking her head. _"That cannot be right as well. I can feel my chakra still at the level it was when I fought the Jūbi and I still have the Infūin on my forehead. The jutsu Naruto used must be the key to my situation! What was the name of the jutsu again? Oh, right! It was Ninpō: Kako no yūrei."_

"Hm…" Sakura hummed out, "Ghosts of the Past. Interesting name, does it send the user back to the past or more accurately merges the soul and chakra of the future self with the past self? If it does, then did I interrupt the technique so I came back as well?"

"AHHHH, I need to find Naruto and ask him about the damn jutsu! I hope he came back as well, or I will have to do it alone!" Sakura exclaimed in annoyance. "When I see that baka!"

"Sakura are you alright?" Sakura heard her mother Mebuki call from downstairs.

"I am fine mom! Just a bad dream," Sakura said with a bit of a grimace. She hated lying to her parents but telling the she was from the future was not an intelligent thing to do. No, she would keep that information close to her chest until she met up with Naruto and understood what really happened.

"Then hurry up and get ready! You don't want to be late for your Graduation Exam, do you?" Mebuki called causing Sakura's eyes to widen in shock. Looking at the calendar above her bed, she saw that it really was the date of her Graduation Exam. Getting out of her bed, she used a kunai to cut her hair, took a short shower, and donned her red qipao and black shorts. She wrapped medical tapes around her right thigh and then tied her Shuriken holster on it. She checked herself on the mirror for a moment before nodding.

"I need to get a medical supplies bag and see how good my Iryōjutsu is before Team Assignments, but first the exams!" Sakura exclaimed to herself before rushing down to the dining room. Mebuki looked up to greet Sakura a good morning only to stop short at her daughters new look.

"Sakura-chan, you have cut your hair?"

"That's right. I decided to stop chasing after Sasuke and start taking my career seriously. Having long hair would only causing me problems. Can you give me big breakfast as well? I have been reading a few medical book and saw that dieting would only make me a poor kunoichi!" Sakura said with a smile getting a smile from her mother.

"That's wonderful dear and good morning!" Mebuki said as she happily gave her daughter a larger portion of breakfast.

"Morning mom, itadakimasu," Sakura said clapping her hands before digging in. Within minutes, Sakura had demolished her breakfast. "It was great mom. I will see you later and with a hitai-ate on my forehead!"

"Sure you will dear, good luck!" Mebuki said as Sakura put on her shinobi sandals and ran out of the house. Mebuki stared at the receding back of her daughter with pride.

"She finally became serious, huh?" Mebuki turned to see her husband, Kizashi, standing behind her. She just nodded with joy. "That's good. I was afraid we would be getting the news that she failed the true genin test or that she died on a routine bandit extermination mission because she didn't take being a Shinobi seriously."

"I am happy she has finally gotten over the Uchiha. He didn't seem too stable the last time I saw him." Kizashi nodded in agreement before turning to head into the house, Mebuki following him.

* * *

Naruto woke up to the sight of his old apartment. The one he had not seen since he became the Hero of the Leaf. Getting up, he walked into the bathroom and stared at his reflection on the mirror. He was a younger version of himself staring back. After a moment, he grinned. He had done it. He had come back. Now he only needed to know when. Quickly finishing his morning ablutions, Naruto walked into his bedroom and stared at the calendar he kept there. Seeing the date, he panicked.

"WHAT! It's graduation day! What should I do?" Naruto exclaimed in horror. He had not planned to go back this far. He wanted to go back to the day of The Bell Test. Now he was a week before his target date and he had to go through everything with Mizuki again.

" _Stop panicking gaki! Just pass with the Kage Bunshin and say that you learned it from seeing a Jonin or ANBU using it once! It's a common technique though forbidden so no one will think much of you learning it through imitation."_

" _Thanks Kurama. You are a life saver, but what will we do with Mizuki?"_

" _Now that I think about it, you can pick up a few more jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll. Why not let it play out as it did last time. You may not have the same physical condition as you had in the future but your chakra levels and control is still at the same level. Then you have your senjutsu to rely on. I am also with you partner. You are not alone like last time nor are you useless. You can play off your sudden increase in skill as playing possum until now. After all a Shinobi's greatest weapon is deception."_

" _That's a brilliant idea Kurama, thanks!"_

" _You better have breakfast and head out now!"_ Naruto looked at the clock and saw that he only had an hour to have breakfast and then get to the Academy. Nodding his head, he quickly prepared a cup ramen and had it for breakfast. He took a quick shower and then walked out wearing a small towel around his waist. Opening his wardrobe, he saw his orange tracksuit. He was about to take it out when a sealed box caught his attention. Taking the box out and placed it on his bed.

"Where did I put my ninja pouch and kunai holsters again?" Naruto said as he searched his bedroom for his equipment. It took him a few minutes but he finally found them under the bed. "Huh! How did they get there? Oh well, at least I found them."

Taking out a kunai, he channeled a bit of fūton chakra into the kunai causing a pale blue edge of chakra to form around the blade. With a single swipe, Naruto cut through the tapes on the box. Placing the kunai back in its holster, Naruto opened the box to reveal an ANBU style dress complete with a mesh shirt and pants, a custom burnt orange flak jacket, black boots and a red haori with yellow lightning at the bottom. On top of the clothes was a pair of black equipment pouches, a dark red sealing supplies bag with a set of books for learning beginners, intermediate, advanced, and master level fūinjutsu written by his mother and father. Finally, there was a small scroll.

Opening the scroll, Naruto began to read.

 _Dear Naruto,_

 _I hope that you are doing all right. Sorry for not meeting you face to face yet. Let me introduce myself. I am your godfather, Jiraiya, the Gama Sannin. I am the spymaster of Konoha's spy network, so my work takes me all around the world. I never stay at a single place for long. I would have loved to raise you but raising a child on the move is wrong. I heard from sensei that you are taking the graduation exam for the third time. I expect you to pass even if you are the dobe of the class. I was the dobe as well, but now look at me, the strongest of the Sannin. I will be home for the first time since before you were born within the year. I plan to meet you then. I have so much to tell you._

 _In this box is a new uniform for you to wear on your graduation exam. There are books on fūinjutsu and a sealing supplies bag. Start out small. I am told by my summons that you like orange. I hope that you like flak jacket and the haori. Your parents used to wear similar clothing. They were masters of fūinjutsu. I hope that you like my gift as much as you liked the wallet I sent you. Always stay true to your heart and remember, being a Shinobi means to endure._

 _Your absentee godfather,  
Jiraiya._

 _P.S.:- This should reach you on the day of the graduation exams. So good luck kid. Make your parents and me proud._

After finishing the letter, Naruto started to cry. His master and godfather had always looked after him. Sending him gifts and looking out for him and because of his impatience, he never knew. How did he even miss the box, he didn't know, but just believed that last time, he was too excited planning and executing the prank, so he must have missed it.

Letting the towel fall to the ground, Naruto was about to pull on a pair of black boxers when Sakura appeared in his bedroom in a Shunshin. Both dumbly stared at each other for a few tense moments before Naruto screamed and fell over while trying to pull up his boxers. Sakura just shook her head and turned around.

"Get dressed baka. Then we need to talk!" The pink haired medic said causing Naruto to stiffen before quickly donning his boxers. Standing up, he quickly put on the clothes Jiraiya gave him.

"I am done. You can turn now!" Naruto said as he zipped up the flak jacket. Sakura turned to see Naruto wearing ANBU style black pants, black undershirt over mesh armor. His flak jacket left slightly open in the chest with his haori on his shoulders. Black boots with his pants tucked into them. The two black equipment pouches tied to the outer side of each thighs, the sealing kit hanging from the left side of his waist. The goggles he wore kept his long messy hair from falling on his face.

"You look handsome. If you let your hair grow out a bit and pull it up in a ponytail, you will look just like your father." Sakura said causing Naruto to blush in embarrassment but grin in joy.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, but why are you here? How did you get here?"

"I jumped on your back just as you finished your jutsu. Gomen, but I think that I caused you to mess up." Sakura said with a slight lowering of her head.

"Not really. Kurama actually wanted me to bring you back anyway. I just didn't want to burden you." Sakura seethed at that. She was not some wallflower that needed protection; she was the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade. She did not need protection.

"Who do you think you are Naruto? Are you worse than scum? You would abandon me just so that you will not feel guilty of burdening me when I could help. I am a proud Kunoichi of Konoha. I will endure anything to see Konoha keep standing. Even if I have to kill Sasuke myself, therefore stop being so selfish and let me help you. You have protected everyone enough times. Let me protect you for a change!"

"But that won't happen now! We can save Sasuke and you can be with him!" Naruto said with a bitter grin that did not go unnoticed by the pink haired girl. Inside her heart, she felt sad at Naruto's final words.

"That's right, but we have to pass the graduation exam first. I just wanted to ask you what you would do. Will you let it play out like last time? I read the report when I was helping Tsunade-sama with filing some of the old mission reports." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"We shouldn't change much yet. I can even squeeze out a few more jutsu from the scroll this time. They may be helpful in the long run." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"That's a good idea. So what is your plan on explaining away our sudden increase in skill?"

"Kurama suggested that we say that we were holding back in the academy. After all, deception is the greatest weapon for Shinobi. We were just following that saying." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"What about your sudden change in clothes?"

"They were here last time as well. I had just missed them in the commotion of the prank. Since I did not pull the prank this time and since I have better observation skills now, I saw the box they were in, they are a gift from Ero-sennin. It seems that he is my godfather. He also sent me Gama-chan."

"Alright now how about we head to the Academy? After the exams, I will head home and wait until nightfall before sneaking out and meeting you at the cabin Mizuki will suggest. When Iruka-sensei finds us, we can say that we were training like usual. That will throw off a bit of suspicion from everyone about our skills. They will think that we did that regularly and that the cabin is our meeting place. I can help heal you and Iruka-sensei, if either of you gets hurt. What do you say?"

"That's fine. We may not have our physical abilities on par with our future bodies, but our chakra abilities are the same. I still have access to Kyūbi Chakra Mōdō and Senjutsu." Sakura nodded in agreement just as Naruto's alarm clock rang showing that they had less than fifteen minutes to get to the exam. Panicking, both of them vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"Huh! Where is forehead? I thought she would be here by now?" Ino said before seeing an empty seat beside Sasuke. With a squeal, Ino quickly took the place before anyone else could. "Good morning Sasuke-kun! Are you ready for the exam?"

Sasuke just kept staring out of the window ignoring Ino when he saw Naruto and Sakura appear in swirls of leaves on two opposite branches of the large tree standing tall in the middle of the training field. Sasuke just raised an eyebrow in surprise at Naruto and Sakura's new fashion sense, well more on Naruto's new clothes and Sakura's new haircut. He saw the two look about before jumping down to the ground and making their way into the Academy. _"That's surprising. I did not think those two had such skills. Their demeanor showed glimpses of an experienced shinobi. The same demeanor I had seen in all the ninja from my clan. I better keep an eye on them."_

"Oi Forehead! What is with the new hairstyle? Are you trying to impress Sasuke-kun? Then you are failing!" Ino scream when she saw Sasuke stand up. Turning her head, she saw Sasuke staring at Naruto and Sakura with an unreadable expression on his face. "What's wrong Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn!" Sasuke grunted before he vaulted over the bench and landed right in front of the two. "You two have been hiding you skills." Sasuke stated getting surprised looks from everyone in the classroom.

Sakura and Naruto started in surprise before Naruto spoke up, "So what? What does that have to do with you?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes for a moment sizing them up. After a few moments of tense silence, the Uchiha heir nodded to himself. "I want to know how you got this strong and why would you hide your skills?"

"I always ate my spinach! It helps gain great strength!" Naruto said with a mocking grin causing Sakura to stifle a laugh. Sasuke stared in shock at Sakura's different behavior. Normally she would have come to his unneeded aid, screeching. This time, it seemed that she was laughing at him. This caused his interest in her to increase.

"Naruto-baka, tell Sasuke-kun how you got this strong!" All of Sasuke's fangirls excluding Ino screamed. The Yamanaka heir stared at Sakura and Naruto with surprise and suspicion. From the other side of the room, the pale eyes of the Hyūga heir stared at them with a frown gracing her usually serene face.

"A ninja never reveals their hand to even their comrades. How we got this strong doesn't concern anyone but ourselves!" Sakura said getting strange looks from all the clan heirs.

"What? Don't you hate Naruto?" One of the civilian family kids asked getting a laugh from the pink haired medic.

"Not really. I just do not like his idiotic behavior and him asking me for dates all the time. Other than that, he is a good friend. Though he can be a moron at times, he is till someone precious." Sakura said getting shock looks from everyone including Sasuke.

"Since when did you two become so chummy?" Kiba asked with a frown. Akamaru yipped in agreement with his master.

"We have been friends for years now. We just kept it hidden. Now that we are about to become Genin, we decided to reveal our true selves. Anymore questions?"

"Everyone get back to your seats! Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei is here!" Naruto suddenly said causing everyone but Sakura and Hinata to look at him with skeptical looks. Just as Ino was about to refute him, Iruka and Mizuki walked into the room.

"Alright everyone, get to your seats. The Graduation Exam starts in ten minutes!" Iruka said causing everyone to scramble for his or her seats. "And Naruto you look good. Why didn't you ever wear these clothes before?"

"Because they were a gift I received this morning. I liked them so I decided to make them my official ninja clothes." Iruka nodded as he and Mizuki started handing out the tests. Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata were sitting on the same bench at the back of the classroom.

"Hey Hinata, good luck with the exam," Naruto said causing her to blush and stutter.

"Tha-anks Nar-naruto-kun, good lu-uck as well," Naruto just nodded as he took the paper Mizuki handed him.

"Alright everyone you have one hour to complete your written exam. Any cheating and you will fail. Now start!" Iruka said causing everyone to turn over their papers and start writing down their answers.

* * *

"Alright everyone now we shall do the physical exams. There will be a taijutsu Spar, an Obstacle Course, and shurikenjutsu Test. For the taijutsu Spar, you will have to survive for five minutes sparring with one of the Chunin Sensei or knock your sensei out. To pass the obstacle course, you have three minutes. For shurikenjutsu, five kunai and shuriken will be handed to you. You will have to have a minimum aggregate score of six to pass. Now as I call your names, please come up, take your shot at the Obstacle Course." Iruka said before he started calling name in alphabetical order. After Ino did her run, Iruka decided to post the top three scores.

"Now at third place with a time of 1 min 10 sec is Haruno Sakura. Good job Sakura. This is the best time you have done yet." Iruka said causing the girl to blush at the praise. "Now at second place with a time of 1 min 7 sec is Inuzuka Kiba. A bit slower than usual, isn't it Kiba!"

"Hahaha, I am trying to save my stamina for the taijutsu exam Sensei!" Kiba said with a laugh.

"Now at first place with a time of… huh, that cannot be right? Are you sure you wrote it down right Daikoku-dono?"

"Hai Iruka-dono. Though it is surprising, it is true. I checked the stopwatch for errors. I even made him redo the obstacle course. He finished it in less time by at least a second." Daikoku said with subdued tone.

"Alright, in first place with a time of 19 seconds is Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka said getting shocked expressions from everyone. "Congratulations on breaking the previous top three records Naruto by 6, 7 and 7.5 seconds."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Whose records did he break?" Sasuke asked getting nods from everyone except Sakura.

"26.5 seconds, Hatake Kakashi. 26 second, Uchiha Itachi and 25 seconds, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage." Iruka said getting even more shocked expressions from everyone. "Alright everyone, let's move on to the Shurikenjutsu test!"

* * *

Everyone had lined up in three lines with a teacher supervising each of line. Sakura and Naruto were standing at the end of the line supervised by Iruka. They were waiting for the rest to complete their turns. Over the course of the test, most of civilians barely scrapped a six while the clan heirs averaged at seven. When it was Sasuke's turn, he did a perfect 10 with Hinata doing an eight. Finally, Sakura's turn came up.

"Here you go Sakura, five shuriken and kunai. For bonus point, you can try to hit all the vitals in a single throw." Iruka said as Sakura picked up five shuriken and threw them at the same time. To everyone's shock, all of them struck the training dummy at vital points. What surprised the Chunin-sensei were the splinters of wood that were expulsed wherever a shuriken struck. One of the Chunin examined the dummy and sensed traces of dōton chakra in them. After replacing the dummy, Iruka motioned for Sakura to continue. Just like before, Sakura threw the five kunai at the same time causing the exact same result. She got a perfect score along with a bonus.

"Naruto, it is your turn. Then we can get to the taijutsu exam." Iruka said as he handed Naruto his shuriken and kunai. Just like Sakura, Naruto also threw his shuriken and kunai simultaneously, but charged with fūton chakra. To everyone's shock the shuriken and kunai punched through the dummies and then through three trees before finally embedding into the wall of the Academy.

"A perfect score Naruto and double a bonus for the use of fūton chakra flow technique. Now, let's head to the taijutsu exam!" Iruka said as the group followed their sensei to the next exam. The taijutsu exam was a simple affair. Many did not do well barely surviving the required five minutes. The clan heirs were able to last an average of seven with the exception of Shikamaru, who forfeited in five. When it was Sasuke's turn, the fight lasted for nearly nine minutes before Sasuke defeated Mizuki with a well-placed sweep kick that caused Mizuki to fall out of the ring.

When it was Naruto's turn, Mizuki had a malicious grin on his face. None but Naruto and Sakura spotted that but Naruto just grinned in anticipation. Closing his eyes, Naruto created a bit of senjutsu chakra and waited for Mizuki to attack.

"If you keep your eyes closed, you will fail Naruto!" Mizuki mocked only for Naruto to reply, "That is if you can hit me!"

Everyone stared at Naruto in confusion. Sakura just stared hard at Naruto and gasped when she saw light orange markings around Naruto's eyes. _"He's using senjutsu!"_

"If you really want a beating, then I will be happy to oblige!" Mizuki said before charging towards Naruto with a haymaker right at his face. Everyone believed that Naruto would lose in an instant only for the blonde-haired boy to dodge Mizuki's punch with ease. For the next minute, Naruto kept dodging everything Mizuki threw at him. Jumping over kicks, moving his body and head out of the path of body strikes. The spar seemed like a well-choreographed fight sequence in movies. When one minute finally ended, everyone could see Mizuki was panting from exertion with Naruto calmly facing him.

"How?"

"What do you mean Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked with a mocking grin. His eyes still closed, the strange orange markings slowly fading away from around his eyes.

"HOW ARE YOU DODGING EVERYTHING I AM THROWING AT YOU WITHOUT LOOKING? EVEN WHEN I AM GOING ALL OUT AGAINST YOU," Mizuki screamed in anger only for Naruto to laugh.

"Then you must be a poor ninja. Good night sensei!"

"What?" Mizuki asked in surprise when Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him and tried to punch him in the face. Mizuki barely dodged the fist, when an invisible force struck him. With a strangled cry, Mizuki was launched out of the ring and into a tree. Iruka rushed towards the downed Mizuki and checked him over. Seeing that Mizuki was only knocked out, Iruka motioned for a couple of students to take Mizuki to the Infirmary.

"Naruto I want to ask you something and I want you to be truthful. How did you dodge all of Mizuki's attacks and how did you throw him out of the ring when you missed? If you used any ninjutsu, I will have to fail you. If you lie, then I will fail you as well. Ninja sparring is a sacred ritual. I will not have you sully it!" Iruka said with a grim expression.

"I manipulated my chakra into an invisible cloak around me. It allows me unprecedented sensory abilities. With the sensory abilities, I can predict my opponent's next move. I can also manipulate the cloak to hit my target if I miss. That is what happened. If I had used enough chakra, Mizuki-sensei's face would have been smashed in." Naruto said getting shocked expressions from everyone except Sakura.

"He is telling the truth sensei! I saw the cloak of chakra around him with my Byakugan." Everyone turned to see Hinata speaking while blushing. Iruka stared at Hinata for a moment before nodding.

"Alright Naruto, you pass. You have developed that dangerous taijutsu style, unless someone taught you, though I doubt it. It seems similar to the Yondaime Raikage's Raiton Chakra Mode, just with neutral chakra."

"Thank you Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed with a happy grin.

"Everyone, please listen up. You will have an hour of recess before you we call you back into your classrooms for your Ninjutsu Exam. Rest up, have lunch, and prepare. I wish all of you the best of luck!" Iruka said before he and the rest of his colleagues vanished in swirl of leaves.

Naruto was about to leave when Sasuke blocked his way. "You need something teme?"

"Tell me about your taijutsu style dobe! I need such a technique for my goals!" Sasuke said with a menacing glower only for Naruto release a bit of his killing intent on him. When Naruto's killing intent hit the Uchiha, he froze in fear. Sasuke saw himself dying in various ways. After a moment, the pressure subsided causing the Uchiha to pant out, "What was that?"

"A bit of killing intent and you are reduced to a shivering mess. I though the Uchiha were elites?" Naruto mocked causing all of Sasuke's fangirls to screech at Naruto. Naruto directed a bit of his killing intent on them reducing them to blubbering messes. "Now let me tell you something Uchiha Sasuke. A ninja does not give away his or her secrets. As to you learning my taijutsu style, you do not have the chakra requirement to perform it. The only ones in Konoha who can learn my style is Hokage-jiji and a few of the top Jonin we have. Other than that, no other person, let alone a soon to be Genin, has enough chakra to learn the style without dying. Now stop bothering me. If you truly want to become stronger, then meet me on top of the Yondaime's head, tomorrow at dawn," with his piece said, Naruto vanished in a swirl of leaves as well. Sasuke just grunted before he walked away from the group.

* * *

"Welcome everyone! As we call your name, please enter the room for your ninjutsu Exam. Till then, I ask that everyone stay outside." Iruka said getting nods from everyone. After everyone left, Iruka started calling names alphabetically. After half-an-hour, they called for Naruto.

"Alright Naruto, show us your Henge." Naruto nodded and transformed into the Yondaime Hokage, shocking the glowering Mizuki and serious Iruka. Both Chunin took care to note the resemblance between Naruto and the Yondaime Hokage.

" _Is he related to the Yondaime? I must ask Hokage-sama about this!"_ Iruka thought to himself while he nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright Naruto, now show us the Kawarimi. Please substitute with one of the chairs in the classroom." Mizuki said as Naruto dispelled his Henge. Without the use of hand seals, Naruto substituted himself with the farthest chair from his position and back causing Iruka to clap with happiness.

"Great job Naruto and a seal less jutsu as well. For that, you will be awarded a bonus! Now show us your Bunshin no Jutsu! Create at least three clones." Iruka said causing Naruto to panic for a moment before nodding and performing the basic academy Bunshin no Jutsu. To both his and his teacher's surprise, ten clones came into existence out of which three were alive while the rest were dead.

"Uh, what happened? I thought I did it right!" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Hmm… this is a unique case. I do not think such a thing has happened before. You succeeded in creating the required three clones right but the rest you created are dead. How much chakra did you use Naruto?" Iruka asked with a confused expression.

"The barest minimum I can. Why, what happened?" Naruto asked with confusion and dread.

"Naruto I want you make the ram seal and channel as much chakra as you can. I want to test something!" Iruka exclaimed with Mizuki giving off an irritated aura. Naruto nodded and started channeling as much chakra as he could without tapping into Kurama's chakra. Around him, a huge aura of blue chakra formed as cracks appeared on the floor under his feet and around him. A strong wind formed as well causing Iruka and Mizuki to shout at him to stop. Outside, all of the Genin hopefuls along with the Hokage felt the massive chakra signature.

* * *

" _What's emitting such a massive chakra signature? It's centered on the Academy!"_ Hiruzen thought before he stood up. "ANBU, I am going to the Academy. I want you four to be ready for anything!" Hiruzen said before he along with his hidden ANBU vanished in swirls of leaves.

* * *

After Naruto stopped channeling his chakra, he looked around to see the devastation that had happened. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he saw the cracks on the floor and the chairs closest to him lying broken on the ground.

"I think I see what the problem with your Bunshin is Naruto. You have excessively much chakra to perform the Academy Standard jutsu. I will say that you have good chakra control for the size of your reserve though. The jutsu should have failed completely instead of being a partial success." Iruka said just as the Hokage and his ANBU entered the classroom.

"Hokage-sama!" Iruka exclaimed as he and Mizuki stood up.

"Hey Jiji! How ya been?"

The Hokage nodded a greeting before surveying the scene. He carefully observed the carnage and the traces of chakra left from Naruto's previous show. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "What happened Iruka? Who was the source of such dense chakra?"

"Ano Hokage-sama, it was Naruto. After he performed the Bunshin no Jutsu, we saw that three were perfect while the rest seven were dead. After thinking about it, I asked him to make the ram sign and channel as much chakra as he could. The chakra signature you felt was the result of Naruto following my order."

"Your thoughts on the result?"

"I conclude that he has as much, if not more chakra than you Hokage-sama. He will never be able to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu satisfactorily. He will need a more chakra intensive Bunshin to pass, probably an element based one." Iruka reported with Mizuki nodding in agreement.

"Alright then, Buta get me a chakra litmus paper. We shall see what type of Bunshin Jutsu young Naruto-kun has an affinity to." The Hokage commanded causing the Pig masked ANBU to vanish in a swirl of leaves. Turning his attention Naruto, Hiruzen was surprised at the boy's new attire. "You look like a shinobi Naruto-kun. When did you get it?"

"My godfather sent it to me this morning through his summons, along with these books on fūinjutsu co-written by Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. Ne jiji, I was meaning to ask. Have I any relation to Uzumaki Kushina? She wrote that some of the theories she was writing were used by her Clan!"

Hiruzen started at what Naruto had asked. Even the ANBU, Iruka, and Mizuki were attentively listening to what he would say. After a moment, Hiruzen sighed, "You are related to her. After all, she was your mother. I had planned to keep it secret until you made Chunin. Kumo had an unhealthy interest in her and her lineage. I feared that if they knew that you were her son, they would try to abduct you as well." Naruto nodded with a happy expression on his face.

"So Kumo has tried to abduct a clan heir before the Hyūga Incident?" Iruka said before he blushed in embarrassment at Hiruzen's attention. Seeing the fidgeting Chunin, Hiruzen just nodded before turning his attention back to Naruto.

"The Uzumaki Clan was distant cousins of the Senju Clan. They had their own village, Uzushiogakure no Satō. We were allies through the marriage of the Shodai Hokage and Uzumaki Mito, the then heiress of the Clan. Mito-sama was you mothers great aunt. You have inherited their will Naruto-kun. To the best of my knowledge, you are the last of the Uzumaki, just as Sasuke-kun is the last of the Uchiha. Just let your heart guide you and you will honor your Clan. They were people who followed their hearts after all." Hiruzen said just as Buta walked into the room dragging Yamanaka Ino and Inuzuka Kiba with him.

"Hokage-sama, these two were eavesdropping on what you were talking about and here is the chakra litmus paper!" Buta said as he let go of the two and handed Hiruzen the sheet of chakra litmus paper. Hiruzen nodded before turning to the two Genin hopefuls.

"What you two heard are A-Class secrets. As you have heard, Naruto-kun's life would be in danger if word got out. Speak without Naruto-kun's or my permission and you will be imprisoned!" Hiruzen said with a glare causing the two to shiver in fright and vigorously nod in agreement.

"I don't think Kumo would try such a thing again. Not after failing both of their pervious abduction attempts Jiji. There is no need to keep it secret any longer." Naruto said causing Hiruzen to look at the blonde Jinchūriki in a new light. After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Alright Naruto-kun, take this paper and channel some of your chakra into it. What happens to it will reveal your chakra affinity."

Naruto silently nodded his head as he took the paper and channeled his chakra into it. To his surprise, the paper tore into quarters with each quarter having a different reaction. One became wet, while another crumbled to dust, yet another crumpled up, while the last burned to ash. "So what does that mean Jiji?"

"It means that you have all the affinities Naruto-kun, truly astounding!" Hiruzen exclaimed with a gob smacked expression. "Anyway, I will have an ANBU teach you Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu. You will have a week to master it. I will see how well you do a week from now. If you can show me that you have mastered Mizu Bunshin to an acceptable degree, you will pass. Now, why do not you and young Inuzuka-kun step outside so that young Yamanaka-chan can take her test? After that all of you will be free for the day!"

"Thanks Jiji! Come on dog-breath, let's get out of here." Naruto said dragging the protesting Inuzuka along with him.

* * *

"What happened in there?" Naruto turned his attention to the source of the voice to see Shikamaru staring at him and Kiba like a hawk. Kiba just shrugged before walking away with Akamaru sitting on his head. Naruto was about to do the same when Shikamaru placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I know that the chakra presence was yours Naruto! What happened?"

Naruto sighed before he said, "I have more chakra than Hokage-jiji. It is a common factor in my Clan. We do not have unique Kekkai Genkai or Clan Specific chakra natures like yours. What we do have are our innate talent with Fūinjutsu, denser and large chakra reserves and a very strong vitality. Because of that, my Bunshin failed. I was able to create three good clones and seven dead ones. Iruka-sensei asked me to channel as much of my chakra as I could. What you felt was doing as I was asked."

"I see, so you didn't pass."

"I will have to redo the ninjutsu exam a week from now after I have been taught the Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu from an ANBU Jiji will assign to teach me. See ya during Team Assignments!" Naruto said as he walked away from the intrigued Nara. Shikamaru watched as Naruto approached Sakura before they started quietly whispering to each other. He just cocked an eyebrow before turning around and walking up to Choji.

"Something interest you Shika?"

"Naruto and Sakura are behaving very strangely today. Either they are better Shinobi that everyone gave them credit for, or something else is going on."

"You are just clutching at straws Shika. Ninja are supposed to be secretive of their lives. Most civilian families do not like Naruto much, most of all Sakura's mother. They must have kept their friendship secret so that her mother did not pull her out of the Academy. Now that Sakura is assured to become a Kunoichi, they decided not to hide anymore." Choji said as he munched on a packet of potato chips.

"Hey guys, you won't believe what I heard!" Ino exclaimed as she hurried over to the two along with a few of her usual female friends.

"Mendokuse, what did you learn now Ino?" Shikamaru asked with a bored tone that went unnoticed by Ino and her friends.

"Naruto is part of a Clan! He is the last of his Clan just like Sasuke-kun, and his Clan and the Senju were allied and distant cousins! He also has an affinity to all the chakra natures!" Ino said with a grin causing the girls to start whispering. Shikamaru just sighed and ignored the blonde loudmouth girl.

* * *

Naruto was sitting on the swing, waiting to see if Mizuki would approach him or not. As he waited, he caught Sakura's eyes and shook his head signifying that Mizuki had not approached him yet. Sakura nodded before she saw Mizuki approaching Naruto. With a couple of slight motions of her finger, she quickly told Naruto that she would meet him at the cabin before she turned and walked towards her mother, who was watching her silent conversation with Naruto.

"That was quiet impressive Naruto. I wish you did not have to wait one more week to pass. I know you can do it." Mizuki said with false enthusiasm getting a nod from Naruto who acted as if he was depressed. "Why so down you didn't fail. You still have a chance to pass if you work hard this week, or you could take the secret test and pass tonight."

"What secret test Mizuki-sensei?" Mizuki smiled while he inwardly grinned in anticipation.

"The secret make up test. It is offered to those who have failed for some reason but have great potential. With your heritage, determination, and you having all the chakra natures, I think you qualify to take the test. What do you say? Will you take the test? Then you will also become the Rookie of the Year!" Naruto's eyes widened in glee as Mizuki grinned.

"Of course Mizuki-sensei, I will take the test and then I will be one step closer to become Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed causing Mizuki to hide a malicious smile before he nodded in false happiness. "That's great Naruto, this is what you have to do…" as Mizuki whispered something to Naruto, the boy nodded with enthusiasm though to those who knew him well would see that he was faking it.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Senjutsu = Sage Techniques_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu = Sealing Techniques_**

 ** _Jinchūriki = Power of a Human Sacrifice_**

 ** _Iryōjutsu = Medical Techniques_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ** **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_****

 ** _Bijūdama = Tailed Beast Ball_**

 ** _Susanoo = Tempestuous God of Valor_**

 ** _Ninpō: Kako no yūrei = Ninja Art: Ghosts of the Past_**

 ** _Infūin = Yin Seal_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

 ** _Henge = Transformation_**

 ** _Kawarimi = Substitution_**

 ** _Bunshin no Jutsu = Clone Technique_**

 ** _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu = Water Clone Technique_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new story I have been planning for some time now. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	2. Chapter 1 - Trials of a Sage

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Trials of a Sage**

Naruto appeared in the clearing in a swirl of leaves. The Forbidden Scroll strapped to his back. After laying the Forbidden Scroll on the ground, he took out an empty scroll, an ink well and a brush before he started reading through the Forbidden Scroll, writing down any jutsu that he and Kurama thought would be useful. After nearly half-an-hour, he rolled up the Forbidden Scroll and strapped it back onto his back. He blew on the fresh ink to dry it so that he could roll up the scroll and place it back in his equipment pouch.

"Alright, now that the scroll is dry, I can get to learn that new jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed before he created a hundred Kage Bunshin. "Alright you guys, you know the hand seals, get to practicing!"

"Alright Boss!" The clones called out as they started practicing the jutsu Naruto asked of them.

For the next hour, the clone practiced the jutsu while the original was meditating with a bit of senjutsu chakra flowing through him allowing him to sense if anyone is close by. When the hour was nearly up, Sakura walked into the clearing ready for war.

"Hello Sakura-chan, you are just in time. Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-teme are close by. They should be here within five minutes." Naruto said as he let the natural energy return to nature as he stood up. Sakura nodded her head as Naruto started dispelling his clone. "Huh, I didn't expect them to become proficient with the jutsu already!"

"What jutsu did you learn Naruto?" Sakura asked with curiosity only for Naruto to grin.

"You will see when I use it on Mizuki-teme!" Naruto said causing Sakura to huff but nod in understanding.

"Alright, then I will hide using Moguragakure no Jutsu." Naruto nodded as Sakura submerged into the ground without even leaving a trace of her presence.

* * *

" _Why would Naruto steal the Forbidden Scroll?"_ Iruka thought as he rushed through the forests surrounding Konoha. As he was passing close by to an abandoned cabin, he sensed Naruto's chakra signature. Changing his direction, he quickly rushed towards Naruto for an explanation. Within a couple of minutes, Iruka appeared on the branch of a tall tree and saw Naruto creating a few Kage Bunshin before dispelling them and again creating a few before dispelling them again.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Iruka called out as he jumped down from the tree and landed beside the blond haired Jinchūriki.

"Iruka-sensei, I found you!" Naruto exclaimed only for Iruka to shout out, "BAKA, I am the one who found you! What were you thinking stealing the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing?"

"But Mizuki-sensei said that if I could steal it and learn a jutsu from it, I would pass and become the Rookie of the Year!" Naruto said with confusion, hoping that Iruka will not realize that he was faking being confused. After all, he already knew the test was a lie.

"Mizuki, but why would he say something like that?" Iruka said before he heard the sound of a shuriken flying towards them. Iruka looked up to see a Fūma Shuriken flying towards Naruto's back. Naruto was about to jump away when Iruka pushed him out of the way, the Fūma Shuriken digging deep into Iruka's chest. Coughing up blood, Iruka glared up at Mizuki. "So that was your plan Mizuki! Have Naruto steal the Forbidden Scroll, then you come by and kill him! Do you hate him that much?"

Mizuki laughed at that, "You are naïve Iruka. It is not that I hate the gaki. In fact, he and I are a lot similar. Like me, he took the first chance to become stronger. I will take the scroll after killing you two and then head to Orochimaru-sama! He shall then grant me great strength!" Iruka and Naruto frowned as Mizuki declared that.

"I won't let you get the Scroll teme! I hate traitors and you will die you're your treachery!" Naruto screamed as he threw a Fūton chakra coated kunai at Mizuki who just leaned back, letting the kunai punch through the tree trunk behind Mizuki.

"Naruto, have you wondered why the village seems to hate you?" Mizuki said with a sick grin causing Iruka to panic while Naruto put on a curious look.

"No Mizuki, you mustn't! It is forbidden!" Iruka called out before he coughed up a bit of blood.

"Let me tell you then, you are the Kyūbi no Yōkō! You are the demon fox that attacked Konoha twelve years ago!" Mizuki said expecting Naruto to freeze up. Unfortunately, for the traitor, Naruto just lowered his head, causing his bangs to cover his eyes. After a moment, a small chuckle left Naruto causing both Chunin to stare at the blond Jinchūriki in shock.

"You really don't understand Fūinjutsu, do you teme? Moreover, we have known about the Kyūbi for a long time now. Isn't that right Sakura-chan?" Naruto said causing both of the Chunin to look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean Naruto? Sakura isn't here?" Iruka said just before the ground under Mizuki exploded with the pink haired Kunoichi emerging from the newly created hole with her fist cocked back.

"CHAA," Sakura chanted as she struck Mizuki with a chakra-enhanced punch launching the traitor back before he puffed into smoke revealing a splintered log. Using a quick Shunshin, Sakura appeared beside Iruka. "Hold on Iruka-sensei. I will heal you up."

Before Iruka could even protest, Sakura pulled the Fūma Shuriken out and placed a green glowing hand on the wound. Iruka looked surprised but smiled when the soothing feeling of the Iryō Chakra permeated the wound causing it to heal up quickly. After Iruka was healed up, Sakura turned to Naruto and asked, "Naruto, where is the teme?"

"He is on the tree at 9'O Clock from our position," Naruto said, as the sides of eyes were pigmented orange again. His sclera was now yellow and his pupils were horizontal bars. Sakura nodded before she rushed towards the tree and with a single punch, caused it to fall as the punch reduced the base to tinder.

"How is she this string?" Iruka asked in awe as he watched Sakura take down the large tree with a single punch. "If I am not mistaken, it seems to be like Tsunade-sama's famed super strength technique!"

"That's exactly what it is. Sakura-chan has perfect chakra control. She is using that control to release burst of chakra to increase her strength many time over. She decided to surpass Tsunade of the Densetsu no Sannin." Iruka nodded when he noticed Naruto's eyes.

"What happened to your eyes?"

"Huh, oh it is the final state of my taijutsu style. I merge my chakra with natural energy and coat my body in it. It strengthens my strength to levels even beyond Sakura-chan's while it also gives me very strong sensory abilities. If I need to, I can fight Mizuki with my eyes closed." Naruto said causing Iruka to gape at Naruto before an explosion drew his attention to Sakura and Mizuki's fight. He watched as multiple explosive tags exploded around Sakura. To his shock, Sakura was not there when the smoke cleared.

"Sakrua-chan is wasting too much time. She doesn't have the stamina to continue for much long." Naruto said causing Iruka to look worried. Before he could voice his worry, Sakura appeared beside them from underground.

"I thought he would be a push over and he is, but he isn't letting me get close enough. You will have to defeat him Naruto. I will watch over Iruka-sensei." Sakura said as she panted lightly.

Naruto created five clones and rushed Mizuki who was drinking some kind of purple liquid from a vial. Just as Naruto and his clones reached Mizuki, the traitor convulsed before he started mutating in to a man-lion hybrid. Jumping back, Naruto and his clones watched with disgust as Mizuki's muscles bulged up and his hand and feet grew claws.

"What the hell is happening with him?" Iruka asked only for Mizuki to give of a demonic laugh.

"This is just a bit of the power Orochimaru-sama has offered me! Now all of you will die here!" Mizuki said before he rushed towards Naruto and his clones with increased speeds. Just as Mizuki was about to bring down his clawed hand at Naruto, a clone kicked the mutated Mizuki away as the original was weaving hand seals.

"What will a puny jutsu do to me?" Mizuki called out seeing Naruto weaving hand seals, as Mizuki was about to mock Naruto some more, Naruto finished weaving all the hand seals.

"Kokuangyō no Jutsu," Naruto called out causing Iruka to gasp as he himself, Sakura and Mizuki were caught in the technique.

"That's the Nidaime's genjutsu!"

"A measly genjutsu, you expect to defeat me with a genjutsu!" Mizuki called out as he brought his hands into the ram seal and released a pulse of chakra while calling out, "KAI!" To the man's surprise, the genjutsu was not being dispelled, "What is happening? Why isn't the genjutsu dispelling?"

"That particular genjutsu was created by the Nidaime before the creation of Konoha. It is a real illusion. Even the vaunted Sharingan or the all-seeing Byakugan are blind under the effects of this technique!" Naruto said as he rushed towards the blind Mizuki and proceeded to beat the man unconscious. After five minutes of constant pummeling, Naruto dispelled the genjutsu revealing a bloody and bruised Mizuki returning to his former human form.

"So you learned a genjutsu? I did not think you could learn any genjutsu with those massive chakra coils of yours." Sakura said causing Naruto to pout.

"Ahh, don't be like that Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, when Hiruzen appeared in the clearing with four ANBU. "Ah Jiji, you got my message!"

"That I have Naruto-kun. I do not agree with your methods but I am happy that your plan succeeded. Not only do we have proof that Mizkui was a traitor, you and Sakura-chan have proved that you two have good teamwork and are very skilled. Now let us head to my office so that I can debrief you two and Iruka-kun." Hiruzen said getting nods from the three. "ANBU take Mizuki to T&I and tell Anko and Ibiki that they have free reign on him. I want every little information they can drag out of his worthless carcass!"

The ANBU nodded as they picked up the unconscious Mizuki and vanished in puffs of smoke and leaves.

* * *

"Congratulations you two for completing your first A-Ranked mission, it would have been a B-Ranked one but with Mizuki transforming into that weird hybrid creature, an A-Rank is warranted. You can pick up your pay from the Mission Desk after you get your formal license. Now I have been waiting to ask this, but why did you two hide your abilities?"

Seeing the stern expression on Hiruzen's face Sakura gulped but Naruto just grinned. "A Ninja is supposed to look Underneath the Underneath. That means we have to see through deception. If deceptions are so common in a Shinobi lifestyle, why not use it to cause enemies to underestimate us. Therefore, we decided to hide our abilities until we are forced to reveal them. Are we in trouble Jiji?"

"No you aren't Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan. I just wanted to see why you two did it. I understand your reasoning. You two will be splendid ninja in the future. Both of you show the characteristic we look for in Konoha Chunin and Jonin. Your teamwork was exemplary and your individual abilities were nothing to sneeze at as well. If what I suspect of your abilities is true, then I can say that with a bit of experience, both of you will become Jonin within the year." Hiruzen said getting a nervous smile from Sakura and a bright grin from Naruto.

"You can hand over the hat within the year Jiji, datteboyo!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up only for Sakura to pull him down back to his seat by his ear. "Itai… itai… itai… let go Sakura-chan"

"Calm down baka! If you keep behaving like that, I will oppose you getting the hat! Any Kage is supposed to both be the strongest Shinobi and the one with the coolest head as well. The Kage is not only a leader. He or she is also a diplomat who helps keep the peace between the villages though talks. You still have a long way to go before you are ready to become Hokage!" Hiruzen and Iruka watched with amusement as Sakura scolded the over excitable blonde jinchūriki, who had a sheepish expression on his face.

"Ahem…" Hiruzen coughed getting the two Genin's attention. Sakura blushed in embarrassment while Naruto turned his attention to the old man with a curious expression on his face. "As much as I am amused with watching Sakura-chan scolding you Naruto-kun, I have a large amount of paperwork to go through, an amount that has increased by a great margin due to Mizuki's duplicity. So I would suggest you two head home and have a good night's sleep."

"Sure thing Jiji, but why don't you use Kage Bunshin to help you do the paperwork. With the memory transfer ability, you would be done in half the time if you use only one clone, not to mention multiple clones." Naruto said with a confused expression while Sakura and Iruka observed Hiruzen's wizened face change expressions from confused to shocked to self-loathing to suspicion.

"Thank you for the tip Naruto-kun, but how did you know about Kage Bunshin and its memory transfer ability?"

"Ahhh… I may have peeked into the Forbidden Scroll and learned a couple of jutsu from it!" Naruto exclaimed with a nervous expression as Hiruzen stared at Naruto with an unimpressed expression on his face.

"What did you learn?" Hiruzen asked with a tone that brooked no argument.

"Kage Bunshin and its derivatives and the Nidaime's Kokuangyō no Jutsu, nothing else I promise!" Hiruzen stared for a few moments before sighing. "Alright Naruto-kun, now that I think about it, how did you defeat Mizuki within the field. It blinds everyone within range including the user. You have to be a sensor of un-paralleled skill to be able to fight blinded."

"Hokage-sama, he said something about coating his body with chakra mixed with natural energy, whatever that is, allowing him great strength similar to Tsunade-sama's and strong sensory abilities, stronger than mine." Iruka said getting a gasp from Hiruzen.

"Do you know how dangerous it was using senjutsu? You could have become a stone statue!" Hiruzen exclaimed as he moved beside Naruto's chair and kneeled down in front of the fidgeting Genin. "How did you even learn of the technique?"

"Accidentally Jiji, while meditating in Training Ground 44, I sensed a powerful presence all around me. I subconsciously started absorbing the energy and mixing it with my chakra when I felt a funny feeling in my feet. When I opened my eyes, I saw my feet starting to become stone. Using all my concentration to force the energy out before attempting to do it again, this time consciously and more carefully, after a few more failed attempts, I succeeded in being able to do it without becoming stone. I was experimented with it as I felt it was incomplete when I saw a small toad in the forest fighting a small snake. I sensed both giving off light auras of this natural energy flowing through them. Since I did not like snakes, I studied the toad and tried to copy its techniques. After a few more failed attempts, I was able to recreate the same flow of chakra and natural energy within the toad within me. Now I can fight just like that little toad!" Naruto said with a grin while inwardly he was sweating in fear of being caught in his lie. _"Hey Kurama are you sure the old man will buy that?"_

" _Sure he will. Do not let another person know about you and that pink haired teammate of your being from the future. If others try to change the events, the future could turn out even more disastrous than before."_ Naruto sent a mental nod before turning his full attention back to the aged Hokage.

Hiruzen scrutinized Naruto for a few minutes before nodding, "Alright Naruto-kun, I believe you, but know that what you did was very dangerous. I hope you do not plan to teach it to anyone else. In fact, the Toad Summons Clan will be interested in you. My student, Jiraiya is the present Toad Summoner and Human Gama Sennin. I will see if a representative of the Toad Clan will come and meet you. Developing a Senjutsu style alone is rare. To be able to copy another style is unprecedented. Even being able to learn senjutsu requires a massive chakra reserves and extreme dedication. Hashirama-sensei had did what you did. He developed his own senjutsu style. The Monkey Summons offered me the chance to become the Saru Sennin, but I declined, as I do not have the time to learn their senjutsu style. Be assured that the Toads will offer you their summoning contract." Hiruzen said getting an excited nod from Naruto. "Remember Naruto-kun, senjutsu is a kinjutsu without a proper trainer or the proper chakra reserves and will power to use it. Do not teach anyone else!"

"Ano, Hokage-sama, Naruto had already started teaching me how make my own senjutsu style. I already know how to connect with natural energy. I just haven't been able to draw it in it." Sakura said getting a surprised look from Hiruzen. With a thoughtful look, Hiruzen made the ram hand seal and pulsed his chakra causing him to look surprised as Sakura's chakra reserves.

"You have a very large chakra reserve for one your age who isn't a Jinchūriki or an Uzumaki or both." At that, everyone looked at Naruto who gave a sheepish smile, "Most of your chakra feels spiritual in nature instead of physical, so it means that your chakra is mostly made of Yin Chakra. You have the reserves to learn senjutsu but I would advise building up you Yang Chakra a bit more before attempting to mix natural energy with your chakra."

Sakura nodded in understanding before she stood up and bowed, "Thank you Hokage-sama, I will make sure to do as you advised." Hiruzen nodded and made a small dismissing motion causing the two Academy Graduates and their teacher to stand up and move towards the door when a small puff of smoke caught the group's attention.

"Wait a moment you three! Gamaharu what have you come here for at this time of night?"

"Hokage-sama, I bear a message from Jiraiya-sama. Here is the scroll he entrusted to me," a small brown toad said as he handed Hiruzen a wrapped scroll who took it with a small thank you. "I shall be leaving now, have a nice night!"

"Wait Gamaharu, I have need of you. Young Naruto-kun there seems to have developed a senjutsu style similar to your clan's style senjutsu. I want you to inform your Sages and leader and see if they are interested in meeting with him." Hiruzen said causing Gamaharu to look at Naruto in shock.

"Child, would you please go into Sennin Mōdō? I need to see if it is true." Naruto nodded and calmed himself before he started drawing in the natural energy around him and mixed it with hi chakra. Orange markings formed around his eyes that had turned yellow with orange bar like pupils. Gamaharu observed the young blonde Jinchūriki for a few moments before he summoned an old green toad with gray beard, a cloak, and a wooden staff.

"Gamaharu, why have you summoned me at this time of night?" The old toad asked only to see Naruto in his Sennin Mōdō. "You child, who are you? How did you learn our style of senjutsu?"

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, the Future Hokage, datteboyo!" The old toad nodded, "I accidentally created an incomplete from of senjutsu which I then perfected after seeing a toad and a snake using senjutsu fight in Training Ground 44. Since I do not like snakes, I recreated the same flow to the toads. Am I in trouble gama-jiji?"

The old toad stared at him with a scrutinizing expression before he hopped onto Naruto's shoulder and stared at his eyes. After a few moments, the toad nodded to himself and jumped back to Hiruzen's desk. "You have an unconventional prodigy here Hokage-dono. Jiraiya has kept an eye on the child from time to time through us. We all know that he is not a good shinobi, but he has determination similar to Jiraiya-chan himself. He has been hiding his abilities it seems along with the pink haired girl. His present reserves are rival that of Senju Hashirama at his prime. The girl has a greater reserve than Tsunade-chan's when she fought Hanzo. These two shall be great in the future."

"I think so too, Fukasaku-dono. What will you do with Naruto-kun? I thought that you and your clan deserved to know that he created a copy of your style."

"His one is still crude to a certain degree. I will talk to Gamabunta and see if I can get him permission to sign our contract. It should not be a problem and I am sure that Jiraiya-chan would offer him the same in the future. Meet me at Training Ground 9 the day after tomorrow at noon. I want to see how far you are along with your mastery of our senjutsu style. Bunta will be there along with my wife to evaluate your worth. If you impress all three of us, I will take over your senjutsu training personally and make sure that you become in tune with nature to the same degree Senju Hashirama was. What do you say?"

"I would be honored gama-jiji!"

"Call me Pa, Naruto-chan. I am sure that you and the Toad Clan will become close." Naruto nodded in agreement, as he grinned. "Then I shall be off. Good night Hokage-dono and I hope that you don't mind us using Training Ground 9 two days from now?"

"Not at all Fukasaku-dono, in fact I and Enma would love to watch you evaluate him." The old toad nodded before he disappeared in a puff of smoke along with Gamaharu. "Alright, off to bed with you two and Iruka, I want you here after lunch tomorrow to discuss potential teams. With the new revelations, the teams may need to be readjusted."

"Ano Jiji what about my makeup ninjutsu exam? I learned the Kage Bunshin, so shouldn't I have already passed?" Naruto asked getting a surprised look from Iruka and Hiruzen, after composing themselves both nodded to the young blonde Jinchūriki.

"That you do Naruto-kun. You have mastered the hardest variant of the Bunshin no Jutsu. Come back here tomorrow for your head band."

"Ano Hokage-sama, if I may?" Iruka asked motioning to his own hitai-ate causing Hiruzen to nod in understanding. Iruka turned to Naruto. "Please close your eyes Naruto!" Sakura watched as Naruto closed his eyes and waited. Iruka took off his hitai-ate and then placed it on Naruto's forehead and tied it at the back. "Congratulations Naruto, as of this moment, you are a proud shinobi of Konoha. Wear my old hitai-ate with pride. I know you will honor the meaning it holds to a ninja of the leaf."

"Thank you Iruka-sensei! I promise to make you proud!" Naruto said with tears in his eyes. Beside him, Sakura watched with pride and hidden affection.

"Ahem, I think that you three must be going. I will quickly handle the paperwork and head home as well." Hiruzen said causing the three to blush before nodding and vanishing in swirls of leaves. Hiruzen smiled before he created ten Kage Bunshin and started going through the mound of paperwork.

* * *

"Why have you called me here Elders?" A gigantic red Toad asked as he hopped into a shrine like building where an equally gigantic yet extremely old toad sat with two smaller toads sitting beside the old one.

"I called a meeting between you and the Elder due to a human child who has gained my attention." Fukasaku said getting a surprised looks from the female toad and the gigantic red toad. The old one ignored everything happening around him.

"Why has a human garnered you attention Elder Fukasaku?" The red Toad asked with surprise getting a laugh from Fukasaku.

"Why wouldn't he Gamabunta? He created an incomplete senjutsu style and then after observing a fight between one of our own and one of Manda's in the Forest of Death, he recreated the same flow of senjutsu chakra we use. He even showed me that he was able to go into Sennin Mōdō without help. I have asked that we spar two days from now at noon, at Training Ground 9 in Konoha. I want to see how far along he is. I wanted to ask you two to help me evaluate his abilities."

"Who is the child Pa?"

"Minato-chan's son Ma, from the reports he may seem an idiot without talent but it seems that he and his friend has been hiding their true abilities. A true prodigy if I say so myself. Either that or he learns kinesthetically instead of reading about it. If it is the second one, then he may have trouble learning about Fūinjutsu."

"It would be a shame if he can't learn Fūinjutsu. Both his parents were great masters of that nearly lost art." Gamabunta said getting nods from the two elders while the large elder seemed to be sleeping.

"So what do we do about the boy? Do we wait until Jiraiya-chan gives Naruto-chan the chance to sign the contract or do we offer it to him?" Ma asked with confusion getting thoughtful looks from Gamabunta and Fukasaku.

"Let us evaluate him first. Then we can think of offering him the contract." Gamabunta said only for a cough to get their attention. They turned to see the extremely old toad cough and sit up straight.

"Great Elder?" Fukasaku asked with trepidation. The Great Elder never gets himself directly involved with clan matters unless he gets a vision. Fukasaku was afraid of what the Elder had seen now.

"Tell me, does the child have blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks on his cheek?" The Great Elder asked causing the three other toads eyes to widen in shock. This was the most lucid sentence they heard out of him. Not even the Toad Sages, Ma and Pa had heard him ever being lucid.

"Yes he does old geezer!" Ma said with a shocked face getting a small chuckle out of the old toad.

"Good, good, that is very good indeed. We have found the Yōgen no Kō. Offer him the contract outright. I shall take him in as my apprentice as I had Hagoromo." The Great Elder said causing the other three toads to gape at the old toad. Not in living memory did anyone know of the Great Elder taking an apprentice.

"Of course Great Elder," the three toads exclaimed in unison.

"And call the present Toad Summoner here as well. I wish to speak with him. Last time I spoke with him, I was too deep in a trance to tell him all that he needs to know. I want him here by tomorrow morning. Moreover, I shall be evaluating him the day after tomorrow, so I shall go with you!" The Great Elder said getting shocked expressions from the three toads who just nodded in a stupor. "Then go, I must sleep. It has been over a millennium since I had a good night's sleep."

The three watched as the Great Elder got out of his chair and moved to the unused bed made of leaves on the other side of the chamber. He laid down and promptly started snoring causing the three toads to stare in surprise.

"Ah… What should we do now?" Gamabunta asked getting a shrug from the two younger elders.

"Why don't we just get out of here and go to sleep? I can reverse summon Jiraiya-chan tomorrow for his meeting with the Great Elder. We do not have to discuss Naruto-chan's situation anymore. The Great Elder has already decided to take him as his apprentice. We cannot over rule his decision, not when he finally decided to involve himself in clan matters again." Ma and Gamabunta nodded in agreement before the Toad Boss headed towards his home while Ma and Pa left for their hut.

* * *

Gamabunta was sitting at the edge of Training Ground 9 with Ma and Pa sitting on his head. On his left side, on a tree branch, Hiruzen and Enma were sitting while drinking a cup of steaming green tea. On his right, Sakura was sitting on a tree branch while pursuing a scroll of advanced medical techniques. On the other side of the tree that Sakura was sitting on, an old man with white hair, wearing an ornate kimono with a hitai-ate engraved with the kanji for oil on his forehead. The white haired man was going through a notepad and perversely giggling at random intervals.

Naruto was sitting in the middle of the field, meditating. The area around his closed eyes was pigmented orange. To those sensitive enough, they could sense the subtle flow of nature energy form the surrounding into the meditating blonde shinobi and then out of him. To the eyes of the experienced sages, they could see that the child was close to mastering Sennin Mōdō.

" _How the hell did the gaki become this good in such a short time without any help? It should be impossible! Minato, Kushina, I hope you are watching over him. You two would be proud of how he is turning out to be!"_ The white haired man thought before returning his attention back to the note pad in his hands.

For the next half-an-hour, the group waited for the Great Elder to arrive only for Ma to keep getting agitated until she finally exploded. "Where the hell is that old geezer? First he commands us that he will test the child and now he is late!"

"Calm down Ma, I am sure the Great Elder will be here soon." Jiraiya said getting a glare from the old purple toad.

"This is unbecoming of a sage Shima-dono!" Enma said only for Ma to turn her frosty glare at the Monkey King.

"Besides, I have been here for nearly an hour!" A disembodied voice called out causing everyone but Naruto to jump in shock. A strong whirlwind formed on top of the trees behind the place everyone was sitting before dissipating to reveal the Great Elder sitting on a tree much too small to hold his weight yet not even bending in the slightest.

"How did we not sense you Great Elder?" Fukasaku asked in shock only for the Great Elder to chuckle.

"You lot still have a lot to learn about being a Sage. You two are good but not good enough yet. A Sage meant to become one with nature. You lot just absorb the natural energy and mold it with your chakra to produce senjutsu chakra. A true Sage would keep the natural energy flowing like the child is doing now. He sensed me the moment I arrived because he was flowing the natural energy through him instead of completely absorbing it to create senjutsu chakra." The Great Elder said getting shocked looks from everyone present. "Child, tell everyone how it felt when I was hiding!"

"The place you were seemed to be vacant yet the concentration of natural energy was considerably greater than normal and the flow there was unnatural to a certain degree." The Great Elder nodded with a pleased smile.

"And the feeling of the rest?"

"I could sense their chakra levels, their health and even to a certain degree, their emotions. Is that normal?"

"Yes that is normal for the style you used. The style Fukasaku-chan and Shima-chan uses is the imperfect version of Gama Sennin Mōdō. Tell me, why did you decide to flow nature energy through you instead of absorbing it?"

"I was training to decrease the time I needed to create senjutsu chakra by repeatedly creating and dispersing it. I have decreased the time by at least five seconds now." The Great Elder nodded before he hopped into position in front of Naruto.

"Keep that up and when you can do that ten times within a second, you would have mastered the imperfect version. After that, I will start training you in achieving a constant flow of nature energy even while moving. You will be molding senjutsu chakra as if you were born with it. With time, you would even be able to rival all the Bijū at the same time though I doubt young Kurama within you is pleased with my assessment." The Great Elder said getting wide-eyed looks from everyone.

" _Kit, tell Gamamaru-jiji that he is still the senile old frog he was the day Father died!"_ Kurama roared in anger.

"Ah, Kurama says that you, Gamamaru-jiji, are still the senile old frog you were the day his… um… Father died!" Naruto said getting confused looks from everyone except Sakura and Gamamaru. The Great Elder laughed in mirth.

"It seems that the old fox still resents that comment I made about his ears looking like rabbit ones." Naruto laughed as well while Kurama was roaring in his mind about how his ears did not look like rabbit ones. "Anyways, all joking aside, let us spar. I want to see how good you are in the imperfect Sennin Mōdō."

Naruto just nodded as he crouched down before he jumped towards Gamamaru with is fist cocked back. Gamamaru just raised webbed palm and smacked the child away by barely moving his hand. In fact, everyone saw that Gamamaru just waved his hand and Naruto was smacked out of the air ten feet away from Gamamaru.

"Use the connection to nature to manipulate the air to dodge such strikes!" Gamamaru roared before he swung his staff at Naruto releasing a wave of visible greenish-blue chakra. Naruto's eyes widened in shock before he calmed himself and tried to do what Gamamaru had told him. He flooded the surrounding air with his senjutsu chakra before mentally commanding the senjutsu infused air to move him high into the air.

Everyone watched in shock as Naruto literally flew higher into the air before leveling out in a wobbly hover. Hiruzen and Jiraiya watched in shock as Naruto flew down and tried to strike Gamamaru on the head only for a wall of greenish wind to cause Naruto to bounce off, and nearly crash into a tree. Growling, Naruto used brute force to uproot the tree and then flew up into the sky with the heavy tree.

"What the hell kind of spar this?" Jiraiya asked in surprise getting nods of agreement from everyone else, even the hidden ANBU.

"Take this you old frog!" Naruto screamed as he threw the tree down towards Gamamaru who just thrust a tongue out, glowing with green chakra and shattered the tree into tinder.

" _Kit, use my power. As much as I hate senjutsu, if we can combine your senjutsu with my chakra cloak, then we can fight better with the senile old frog. Maybe even defeat him!"_ Kurama said causing Naruto to nod his head.

"Good child, you understood what I meant. You have already partially mastered wind manipulation. Now show me your true power, I can sense it bubbling within you. Let it all out!" Gamamaru said causing everyone except Sakura to worry. They all realized that Gamamaru was talking about the Kyūbi's power.

Everyone watched as Naruto's whole body became clad in a golden cloak of chakra with black sealing lines flowing through it. A shocking development was the absence of malicious killing intent they all expected. The next shocking feature was the Naruto's eyes were still golden with orange eye shadow and bar like pupil with a vertical split running through the center of the bar like pupil.

"That is what I was looking for child. Show me how strong you truly are!" Gamamaru exclaimed before he tapped the ground beneath his feet with his staff causing the very earth below Naruto to tremble and transform into a giant toad mouth, which then tried to eat him. "Senpō: Mōdoku no hikigaeru!"

"What kind of jutsu is that?" Enma asked as the toad head made of earth tried to eat Naruto only for the blonde bijū-sennin to fly out of the way before materializing the head of the Kyūbi and pointing it down towards the rising toad head. Balls of blue and red chakra started gathering in front of the Kyūbi head before compressing into a black ball of dense black chakra. When the ball was the size of the foxes head, it contracted before the fox head roared releasing the ball. "The child already knows how to create a Bijūdama!"

The black ball glowed orange-red as it collided with the earthen toad head and exploded releasing a massive shockwave. Gamamaru just waved a hand causing a shield of green wind to materialize in front of him. When the shockwave dissipated, only a crater remained with Naruto flying in the air, the foxes head still materialized and Gamamaru calmly dispelling his wind barrier.

"Good, you and Kurama are well synchronized. In time, you two will be able to work together even better. Now I want to see you go into Bijū Mōdō!" Gamamaru demanded getting a feral grin from Kurama's disembodied head. With a sudden spike in chakra pressure, a body formed under the head, clawed hands, and feet along with nine flowing golden tails appeared as well. In front of the group, the Kyūbi stood with all its majesty.

* * *

"The Kyūbi!"

"It's free!"

"What should we do?"

The Civilians screamed in shock as the younger generation who learned that the Kyūbi had been killed watched in awe as a giant old toad jumped into the air and created a swirling ball of greenish-blue water from thin air before launching it at the Kyūbi. With a single flick of one of its nine tails, the Kyūbi easily crushed the ball of water before throwing a large tree at the hovering toad who raised his fist, glowing with a deep greenish-violet chakra, and rammed it into the tree causing the greenish-violet chakra to immediately encompass the tree before the tree disintegrated to nothing. "Senpō: Hakai Ken!"

"Alright Gamamaru-jiji, Naruto and I give up. We know when we are defeated and since this is just an evaluation spar, I do not think going any farther would be wise. Not with the amount of destruction that would happen to Konoha."

"Finally learned some humility, have you Kurama? Hagoromo would be proud of you. In addition, you young Naruto, you have proved yourself of strong mind, being able to remain happy and sane even with the burden of holding the great Kyūbi no Yōkō from the world. What's more, you have been able to remove the hatred he had for humans and befriend him, gaining a great ally to fall back on should you find yourself overwhelmed. I accept you as a Toad Summoner and my own Apprentice, the first after Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Rikudō Sennin. As his descendant, I expect great things from you!" The old Toad Sage said before he landed atop one of the trees under him. The Populace of Konoha saw the Kyūbi land opposite the Toad and bowed.

"Has the brat really removed the hate from the Kyūbi's heart?" One of the civilians asked getting confused looks from the children near her.

"It seems so and has complete mastery of its power as well. We should have trusted Yondaime-sama's sealing skills and his trust in the child. He should have been honored as a hero!" A man said getting a scoff from another man.

"Hell no, it just proves that he was the demon himself. We should have killed it before it had regained its power. Now it will just wait until it grows bored with playing a human and kill us!"

"Just give him a chance. If he had such power for so long, Konoha would have been destroyed long ago." A woman said when an ANBU Team appeared on a nearby rooftop along with many Jonin and Chunin appearing on neighboring rooftops. A Jonin with silver hair, masked face and his hitai-ate covering half of his face walked forward with a shocked expression.

"This can't be happening? How can a child barely twelve years old tame the Kyūbi? He is now like the Hachibi Jinchūriki!" The man exclaimed hysterically when an ANBU walked up to the man and patted his shoulder.

"I don't know how he did it, but he should be respected for achieving the impossible. He just graduated the Academy and already an S-Ranked Ninja. With the power of the Kyūbi at his disposal, there would be very few able to defeat him in battle. You should be proud of him Kakashi-senpai. He did what your sensei hoped he would. Yondaime-sama's trust in the child was spot on." Kakashi nodded before he rushed towards Training Ground 9 when the Kyūbi dissipated causing a small figure to fall from the sky.

"Should we follow him?" An ANBU asked getting a nod from his companion before all the shinobi and kunoichi rushed towards Training Ground 9.

* * *

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed before she jumped down from her perch and rushed towards the falling Naruto. Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Enma, Fukasaku and Shima following close behind. They all knew that they would fail to reach the blonde jinchūriki in time, yet still tried when Gamamaru flicked his hand causing a swirling platform of green wind to catch the falling Naruto before carefully setting him down to the ground. Gamamaru touched the downed blonde shinobi causing a green glow to suffuse his body before dissipating.

"Grand Elder, is he alright?" Fukasaku asked with concern as Sakura placed a glowing hand on Naruto's chest and another on his navel.

"Yes he is. He is just exhausted himself from using so much power. His body is not ready to handle Bijū Mōdō for more than a few minutes, especially not Bijū Mōdō augmented with Senjutsu. I have already healed him of the damage done to his chakra coils from the intense chakra flowing through him at that moment. He should be up within a few minutes and completely replenished of chakra as well. When he wakes, tell him that I shall start his training after he masters drawing in and releasing of nature energy ten times in a second. Until then you shall help him master Kawazu Kumite and the various Toad Style Ninjutsu we have, Fukasaku-chan."

"Great Elder, if I may ask what type of Ninjutsu were you using?" Jiraiya asked as Sakura stood up causing the green glow around her palms to fade. At this moment, Kakashi and the rest of the Shinobi and Kunoichi arrived at the training ground.

"Hokage-sama, are you alright?" an ANBU asked causing Hiruzen to motion for silence.

"What I was using wasn't Ninjutsu child. It was Ninshu, the techniques created by my student Hagoromo. The one you know as the Rikudō Sennin. Indra, his elder son, created the Ninjutsu you use, while his younger son Ashura specialized in Ninshu and dabbled in Ninjutsu. Ninshu deals with the molding and manipulation of chakra and the elements through will power. Ninjutsu deals with the same through hand seals. While Ninjutsu is easier to learn, Ninshu is more potent. Now I must be off. It has been over a millennium since I have fought anything. I must rest." The old toad said before vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Hokage-sama, is it true? Has Naruto-san really mastered the Kyūbi's power?" A female ANBU with a cat mask asked getting a nod from the Hokage.

"That he has, not only that, he has also purified the Kyūbi's hatred for humanity and befriended it. With the stunt he and Gamamaru-sama pulled, it seems that I have to make an announcement and prepare for a Council meeting. Tori, I want you to go and inform all the councilors of a meeting two hours from now, both civilian and shinobi alike." Tori nodded before he vanished in a puff of smoke leaving behind a swirl of leaves.

"Hiruzen old friend, you better get back to your paperwork. I shall keep an eye on young Naruto until he wakes up with this young Kunoichi and the Toads. All of you shinobi and kunoichi, don't you have work to do?" Enma said causing most of the ninja to look sheepish and vanish in puffs of smoke leaving behind only a couple of ninja and ANBU, among them Kakashi and a male ANBU with a cat mask.

"All of you get out of here. Naruto-kun isn't a threat." Hiruzen said getting nods from the stragglers as they all left leaving behind Kakashi and the Neko ANBU.

"Why are you still here Kakashi, Neko?"

"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, we just want to make sure that Naruto-san is alright. I respect him for being able to befriend the Kyūbi and become a fully realized Jinchūriki at such a young age." Kakashi nodded in agreement with Neko's statement causing Hiruzen to nod in understanding.

"Alright you two keep an eye on him. Two hours from now, I want you two to bring him to the Council Meeting Room that is if he wakes up by then. The Council and I have much to discuss with him. Bring Sakura-chan as well, she knew about his abilities and has been hiding her own. The Ninja Council will be interested to know why a civilian did such a thing." Hiruzen said getting a nod from the two before he vanished in a puff of smoke and leaves.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Senjutsu = Sage Techniques_**

 ** _Jinchūriki = Power of a Human Sacrifice_**

 ** _Densetsu no Sannin = Legendary Sannin_**

 ** _Genjutsu = Illusion Techniques_**

 ** _Iryō = Medical_**

 ** _Taijutsu = Hand-to-Hand Techniques_**

 ** _Gama Sennin = Toad Sage_**

 ** _Saru Sennin = Monkey Sage_**

 ** _Sennin Mōdō = Sage Mode_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Moguragakure no Jutsu = Hiding like a Mole Technique_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

 ** _Kokuangyō no Jutsu = Journey into Black Darkness Technique_**

 ** _Senpō: Mōdoku no hikigaeru = Sage Art: Deadly Toad_**

 ** _Bijūdama = Tailed Beast Ball_**

 ** _Senpō: Hakai Ken = Sage Art: Destruction Fists_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	3. Chapter 2 - A Heritage Revealed

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – A Heritage Revealed**

"Hokage-sama is it true that the Kyūbi has escaped?" A Civilian councilor asked with fear in his voice as Hiruzen walked into the Council Meeting Chamber. Hiruzen just ignored the man and took his seat. He placed a folder in front of him before he opened it up and checked the contents. For the next few minutes, Hiruzen checked each of the papers within the folder while the Civilian Council fidgeted. The Shinobi Council, on the other hand, was staring at Hiruzen with stoic expressions. One of the elders, a man with bandages covering half of his face and his right arm stared at Hiruzen with an unreadable expression. After what felt like hours, Hiruzen put down the papers before turning his attention to the assembled Council.

"As you know, about two hours ago, the Kyūbi was seen battling an old toad at Training Ground 9," Hiruzen said causing everyone to nod in agreement. "I shall tell you now, that it was a sanctioned spar between our allies the Toad Summon Clan and the Kyūbi Jinchūriki wielding the full power of the Kyūbi as a fully realized jinchūriki."

"Do you mean to say that you allowed the demon brat to release the Kyūbi?" One of the Civilian Councilors asked in an accusatory tone causing Hiruzen to focus his killing intent on the fool.

"ANBU, have that man arrested and publically executed for breaking my law," Hiruzen commanded causing a female ANBU with a dragon mask to appear and drag the man out of the room after knocking him out. "Now does anyone want to interrupt me again?"

"No Hokage-sama, but may I ask what you meant by 'fully realized jinchūriki'?" Hyūga Hiashi, the present head of the Hyūga clan asked getting a nod from Hiruzen.

"Ahem…" A cough interrupted Hiruzen before he could speak. Turning to the source, Hiruzen saw the bandaged elder had coughed. "Yes Danzo?"

"May I explain Hiruzen?" Hiruzen became suspicious but nodded.

"My fellow Councilors, a fully realized jinchūriki are jinchūriki who has the full power of their Bijū under their control to the point of taking up the form of the beast sealed within them. Until now there have been only two other fully realized jinchūriki. The Yondaime Mizukage, the Sanbi Jinchūriki and Kirabi, the Hachibi Jinchūriki of Kumo. However, what surprises me is how the child became a fully realized jinchūriki without formal training." Danzo said causing Hiruzen to realize what the old war hawk was after.

Seeing that the whole council was looking at him for answers Hiruzen sighed in defeat, "I also don't know how he did it. The only thing I know is that he and a friend of his Haruno Sakura have been hiding their true abilities for as long as they have been in the Academy. Young Naruto is also a Sage like Hashirama-sensei was. He created his own variant of senjutsu and finding it incomplete, he studied the flow of senjutsu chakra within a toad summon fighting against a snake summon in the Forest of Death and recreated it. Even the sages of Myōbokuzan were surprised. Their Great Elder, who normally remains in a trance, came personally to test Naruto-kun. While testing him, that was the sanctioned spar, Gamamaru-sama told him something causing him to suddenly become a master in wind manipulation while in Sennin Mōdō. The spar ended when Naruto fainted from the strain of using the full power of the Kyūbi along with Sennin Mōdō at the same time. As of this moment, Gamamaru-sama has decided to take Naruto-kun in as his first apprentice since training the Rikudō Sennin over a millennium ago." Hiruzen said getting shocked expression from everyone, including Danzo.

"So he was a prodigy hiding in plain sight?" Nara Shikaku, the Jonin Commander and the head of the Nara clan asked, for the first time outside a war, not sleeping through a council meeting. "Shikamaru did say that there seemed to be something strange with Naruto-san. I thought he sensed the Kyūbi's presence within the boy, now I think that he meant that Naruto-san was hiding his abilities."

"He had to have been. No one else, especially a dead-last Academy Student could sneak into ANBU HQ, dye many of the uniforms orange, and then escape without being caught, let alone not leaving behind any traces that we could point to him, even if we know that he was the one who did it." The ANBU Commander, a male wearing a Dragon mask said getting nods from the rest of the Ninja Council.

"True, even if I do not like the fact that he snuck into my clan compound and stole our underwear right under the noses of the guards who periodically scan the area with the Byakugan. I still don't know how he did it, but his stealth is impressive." Hyūga Hiashi said getting shocked expressions from everyone present.

"Anyway, that is not what I called all of you here for. I have a few documents for you to review before I tell you the agenda of the meeting." Hiruzen said before he motioned for an ANBU to distribute the papers in the folder. The council took a few minutes to pursue the documents before Danzo calmly placed his copy on the desk.

"He was sabotaged and he realized it. He is a textbook example of a shinobi!" Danzo said with a bit of pride before chuckling, causing every ninja to give the old war hawk a wary glance.

"Are you alright Danzo?" Hiruzen asked only for Danzo to laugh aloud.

"Alright, alright, I am better than alright! I wanted to train him to be what he has become without help. He understands the darkness of the world and uses the shadows to cloak himself, though I should have expected it, with his heritage." Danzo said causing Hiruzen to inwardly panic.

"What heritage? Wasn't he an orphan that Yondaime-sama picked randomly?" A civilian woman asked getting a scoff from Danzo.

"If the reports of his strength are true, and I have no reason to doubt it, then there is no reason to hide his heritage for fear of his safety from his parent's enemies."

"I have been meaning to ask Hokage-sama, my daughter came to me last night and said that you confirmed that young Uzumaki-san is in truth the son of the Akai Chishio no Habanero?" Yamanaka Inoichi, the head of the Yamanaka clan asked getting a nod from Hiruzen.

"Then his father was the Kiiroi Senko, wasn't he?" Aburame Shibi, the head of the Aburame clan asked. "After all it is logical. Kushina-san and Minato-sama were known to spend a lot of time together with rumors of them dating floating about."

"I hate the Aburame Logic and Nara Intelligence. All of you deduce things that I want to keep hidden from the barest of details. Shikaku had already deduced his heritage long before now. I am surprised that you hadn't Shibi-kun." Hiruzen said getting shocked gasps from the civilians.

"So what about it Hiruzen, are you still going to keep him from his inheritance. He may be able to master the Hiraishin if he gets hold of his father's notes, not to mention his parents sealing skills by studying their notes. I foresee the birth of the Nidaime Kiiroi Senko!" Danzo said getting a look of realization on Hiruzen's face.

" _So the old war hawk is after the Hiraishin. Not while I am alive, I need to remember to warn Naruto-kun about him."_ Hiruzen was about to speak when a knock interrupted him. "Come in!"

At the Hokage's command, Neko and Kakashi walked into the chamber escorting Naruto, who looked attentive and Sakura, who looked nervous. "Thank you Neko, Kakashi-kun, you two may leave now, or if you want, take you clan seat Kakashi-kun." Kakashi thought for a moment before he walked to the Hatake Seat and sat down.

"Good of you to finally join us Kakashi!" Inuzuka Tsume said with a fanged grin causing Kakashi to nod in return.

"Now as I was about to say, I had planned to tell him when he reached Jonin, but now with his strength, I can reveal it to him without fear." Hiruzen said getting a nod from the council.

"Naruto-san, it has come to our attention that you have achieved Sennin Mōdō. Can you give us a demonstration of your sensory abilities?" Inoichi asked getting a nod from Naruto, surprising the man. He expected him to wax a lyrical about himself and his abilities, as he is known to do. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before releasing it. Repeating the motion a few times, Naruto suddenly opened his eyes to reveal orange pigmentation around them with the pupil being a horizontal bar and the eyes had changed color to a yellow instead of the vibrant blue it usually is.

"Jiraiya is standing beside the door under a cloaking jutsu. There are four ANBU spread around the room with two more behind the bandaged man who seems have no emotions. Then there are the six ANBU outside the room hanging from the ceiling with two more emotionless ANBU waiting by the door. The Civilians here are fearful, probably of me. Then there are the ANBU who brought me here, his chakra felt stiff like earth yet flowing like water. He may have water and earth affinities though his chakra feels like the two affinities are merged together with hints of life energy flowing through it." Naruto said getting shocked expressions from everyone present. Inoichi knew that good sensors could pick up hints of emotion from the flow of chakra but to notice the elemental affinities including the sub-elemental affinities was astounding.

"The man with the white eyes has a feeling of stiffness in his chakra as well so he must have earth affinity as well." Hiashi nodded in agreement, "The man with spiky pineapple hair and scar on his face who looks like an older Shikamaru has a feeling of insubstantiality in his chakra probably why they can manipulate shadows, your own feels more spiritual but insubstantial as well. The big boned man has a strong flow of life energy along with the stiffness I associate with earth." Inoichi nodded in understanding of what Naruto meant.

"Then the man with his face half covered in his hitai-ate his own feels like it will shock anyone who comes in contact with it. Then there is the eye he is hiding underneath the hitai-ate. It feels foreign. Probably a transplant though the level of chakra in it tells me that it is a constantly active dōjutsu." Naruto said while pointedly looking at Danzo's right arm causing the man to nervously stare back.

After a staring at each other of a couple of moments that was ignored by everyone except Jiraiya and Hiruzen, Danzo interrupted, "I think that concludes demonstration. It is impressive how much details you can perceive with you sensory abilities. I do not think I have heard of any sensor being able to sense anything other than negative emotions. Your ability will be a boon in the field for reconnaissance and tracking missions. Tell me, can you sense the chakra trails left behind as well?"

"If I concentrate enough, then yes." Naruto said with a guarded tone causing Danzo to nod.

"And the range?" Hiashi asked getting a calculative stare from Naruto after a few moments Naruto said, "At the moment I can sense the whole of Konoha. If I concentrate, I may be able to sense a few more miles out."

"What, but that's impossible! Even the sharpest Byakugan would fall short of the outer districts of Konoha from here."

"There is nothing impossible in this world. Have your sharpest Byakugan ever been forced to be strained enough to increase the range?" Naruto said with a cold tone causing a shiver to run down Hiashi's spine. Danzo and Hiruzen hid a smile.

""Thank you for that enlightening demonstration Naruto-san," Aburame Shibi said causing Naruto to nod in appreciation.

"Will you give us a demonstration of the Kyūbi's power?" Danzo said getting shocked and worried expressions from the Councilors.

"What are you talking about Elder Danzo? Why would you want the Kyūbi to be free? It will kill us as soon as Naruto-san releases it!" A civilian cried in fear only for a strong killing intent to causing the man to freeze in fear.

"I would appreciate if you didn't treat the fox as a dumb beast hell bent on killing. He is a sentient being just like you and me. It is behavior like that which had tainted Kurama's heart with hatred of humans. I worked very hard to dispel that hatred, so I would appreciate it if you did not give him reason to start hating humans again. Also, do not insult my friend. It was hard to befriend him but he is a good friend, an honorable one as well. I know details about the attack that none but my father and mother knew!" Naruto said getting surprised looks from everyone except Sakura.

"Baka, you weren't supposed to tell the world that you know who your father is!" Sakura exclaimed before she saw the looks she was getting and blushed in embarrassment. Naruto released his killing intent from the civilian causing him to faint on the spot.

"How long have you two know about Naruto's parents and how?" Hiruzen asked with a serious tone causing Sakura to gulp in fear.

"I met their chakra imprints in my mindscape when I was trying to mastering Kurama's power last summer. They left the imprints to help me with the process. I told Sakura-chan about them since she is my closest friend. I also know that old pervert over there is my godfather, thanks for the clothes Ero-sennin!"

"Your mother's chakra imprint told you to call me that; didn't she?' Jiraiya asked with a flat tone causing Naruto to grin and nod. "I should have known. Only Kushina would do something like that. Even from beyond the grave, she torments me with that accursed nickname!"

"Why did you ask me if you were related to Kushina-chan yesterday, if you already knew?" Hiruzen asked with confusion only for Naruto to stare at him with an equally serious expression.

"I wanted to see if you would hide that knowledge from me or not. If you did, then I would have put you down as having malicious intents with me. It was a test to see if I could trust you as in the shinobi world, nothing is as simple as what it seems." Naruto said getting an understanding nod from the Shinobi Council while Danzo looked at him with barely hidden happiness. The other two elders looked at him pride.

The female elder, Koharu commented, "You remind me of Tobirama-sensei with Hashirama-sensei's happy-go-lucky nature mixed in. Now that I am in your presence, you even have the same presence as Hashirama-sensei."

"Thank you for the complement but may I ask what was the real agenda of the Council Meeting? I do not think this was it?" Naruto said with a cheeky grin causing everyone to face fault at getting this distracted from the true agenda.

"Ahem, you are right Naruto-kun. The meeting was about informing the council of your status as a fully realized jinchūriki and a Sannin. Then I was planning to discuss the merits and demerits of releasing your heritage to the world so you may go."

"There shouldn't be any discussion. I understand that you want to protect me but revealing my heritage and status as a fully realized jinchūriki has more merits than demerits. True, that my parent's enemies could target me but it is not as if I cannot defend myself. Revealing that would instead causing our enemies to fear angering us while reassuring our allies of our power, it may even prevent our allies from betraying us out of fear of us retaliating. It would also bring in more missions and allies to us." Naruto said getting a shocked look from everyone, including Sakura, who did not know that Naruto was this good with politics.

"That is a very good proposition. It is true that many minor villages fear to attack Kumo and even though Kiri is embroiled in a civil war, Yagura's status as a Kage level ninja and a fully realized jinchūriki prevents overzealous minor villages from attacking them." Danzo said with an approving nod of his head.

"Are you sure that you want to take the risk Naruto-kun. You will be in grave danger." Hiruzen asked only for Naruto to gently refute him.

"You are letting you affection for me prevent you from looking at the bigger picture Jiji. What is a shinobi?" Naruto said getting a look of realization from Jiraiya and Kakashi. Seeing the confused looks from everyone Naruto continued, "A Shinobi is one who endures. I am a shinobi. Moreover, I am a shinobi who aspires to become Hokage. If I am afraid to put my life on the line for my village and country, then I don't deserve the hitai-ate I am proudly wearing on my forehead."

Shikaku nodded in understanding, "I see what you mean Naruto-san. You are willing to take the burden of being Konoha's face to the world with your very presence deterring other nations from thinking of invading us. You are banking on your status as a fully realized jinchūriki, a sage, the last Uzumaki and finally the son of the Kiiroi Senko to be the deterrent and if that fails, you plan to use the power you have to silence those who would dare to even look at Konoha with a malicious light in their eyes." Naruto nodded in agreement getting a sigh from Hiruzen while approving nods from the rest of the Shinobi Council.

"That is a plan worthy of Tobirama-sensei and the determination you show in carrying out that plan shows me glimpses of Hashirama-sensei. I approve of your proposal." Homura said getting a nod from Koharu and Danzo. The rest of the Shinobi Council except Kakashi voiced their agreement with respect.

"I feel that it is unwise of you to place yourself at risk just yet Naruto. As your father's sole surviving student, I must protest to this plan." Kakashi said with worry only for Naruto to chuckle.

"If you were my father's pupil, then you know that I won't back down from a small threat to my life. He entrusted Kurama to me so that I could master the use of his power. I have done it, so now it is my turn to provide Konoha with the same visage my father portrayed." Kakashi thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Though I don't like it, I will accept your decision. I rescind my objection to the plan." Kakashi said causing Hiruzne to hang his head in defeat.

"What about you Jiraiya, he is your godson?"

"Though I would prefer he didn't do this, it is undeniable that he is a better and greater sage than me, Fukasaku-sensei and Shima-sensei. That alone along with his taijutsu skills put him solidly in the category of a low A-Ranked Jonin. He has an A-rank genjutsu under his belt. With his understanding of Kage Bunshin and the level of wind manipulation he can do in Sennin Mōdō, I would not want to fight against him. With Kyūbi, he is easily S-Rank in power. If he concentrates a bit in his ninjutsu, with the help of Kage Bunshin, he would be S-Rank in skill by the end of the year. So I shall support him in his personally proposed mission." Jiraiya said with a proud smile getting a nod from Hiruzen.

"Alright, I shall allow it. Your heritage and status as the Kyūbi Jinchūriki will be revealed right after the meeting is concluded. ANBU, call a general assembly of the populace." An ANBU appeared and bowed to Hiruzen before vanishing in a Konoha Shunshin. "Now Sakura-chan, may I ask why did you hide your skills? It is uncommon for an academy student from civilian background to be as strong as you are!"

"Naruto has been helping me get stronger. That is the only truth Hokage-sama," Sakura said while inwardly sweating in fear of her lie being caught. After a moments scrutiny Hiruzen nodded.

"Alright Sakura-chan, you, Naruto-kun and the Civilian Council may go now." Hiruzen said causing the Civilians to get up and leave. Before they all left, the head of the Civilian Council turned to Naruto and bowed.

"Naruto-sama, please forgive us for our transgressions against you." The man said getting shocked looks from some of the Shinobi Council.

"What's in the past is in the past. Let us head towards a brighter future and not bring up painful memories. I can understand your pain to a certain degree and your fear. There is no need to ask for my forgiveness." Naruto said getting shocked looks from the Civilians and Shinobi alike while Danzo watched with a calculative expression on his face. The civilians bowed before heading out of the room.

"That isn't something you see every day," Tsume said with a gruff laugh getting chuckles from Choza and Jiraiya. Sakura and Naruto were about to walk out of the Council Chamber when Naruto suddenly stopped.

"I have been meaning to ask, does the Uzumaki Clan have a council seat in Konoha?" Everyone looked surprised at the enquiry but Danzo replied, "They do not, but the Alliance Charter between Konoha and Uzushio states that if a branch of the Uzumaki Clan were to form in Konoha, they would be given a Council Seat. Why do you ask Naruto-san? Do you plan to recreate the Uzumaki Clan in the future?"

"That should be obvious. As if I would let my Clan die out." Naruto said with a scoff. "Thank you for your consideration of my proposal."

With his piece said, Naruto walked out of the Council Chambers with Sakura in tow.

"That gaki has a very heavy presence. A similar presence to what you had during the Second Shinobi World War, sensei." Jiraiya said getting a nod of agreement from Koharu, Homura and Danzo. Hiruzen hummed in thought before he sighed and turned back to the Council.

"What news do you have on Iwa, Jiraiya? I want to be prepared for the fallout of the reveal." Hiruzen said causing everyone to become serious.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura had just entered his home when Sakura smacked Naruto on the back of his head. "What the hell were you playing at Naruto? I though we wouldn't be changing the past too much?"

"What reason did we come back if we aren't going to be changing the past and since our powers have already been revealed to a certain degree; we should just use it to our advantage. Yesterday, I think I was able to convince Sasuke that being a lone wolf would only end in disaster. I offered to help him get stronger. He said he would think about it. I hope that we will be able to keep him out of Orochimaru's hands now. That could already have changed the future by a great degree. Kurama guided me what to do in the Council Chambers. He said something about showing the qualities that is desirable in a leader. That would help me gain allies on the council, which would then help when the time came to hunt down Akatsuki. I decided to follow Kurama's lead."

Sakura nodded in understanding before she said, "Then why didn't you reveal Danzo?"

"He is useful at the moment. While I hate manipulations, Kurama and I decided make Danzo think that I share similar ideologies with him. That will cause him to lower his guard. And when his guard is down, I will take him out in a single fell swoop." Sakura gulped at the serious expression on Naruto's face as she faintly blushed. Shaking her head to clear out unnecessary thoughts, Sakura said, "That is risky, but so you!"

Naruto nodded in agreement when something occurred to him causing him to become pale as a corpse. Seeing his pallid expression, Sakura became concerned, "You alright Naruto?"

Naruto just nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think I will be soon." Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion when Naruto continued, "Jiji is about to reveal my heritage within the hour!"

"So? I though you would be happy to finally be able to tell the world who your parents are?"

"You don't understand! As soon as my heritage is revealed, the whole of Konoha will start treating me as the son of the Yondaime instead of Uzumaki Naruto! They will ignore who I am and the fan girls; I know I laughed when Sasuke was hounded by fan girls, but now I will be the one running away!" Naruto exclaimed hyperventilating only for Sakura to smash a fist onto Naruto's head.

"Calm down baka! Very few treat you as Uzumaki Naruto. Most of the elder populace treats you as Kurama while our generation treats you as an annoying prankster. Instead of getting glares, you will be getting looks of awe. So what, just bear with it till you prove yourself as you did when you defeated Pein! And stop being so overdramatic about fan girls, they aren't that obsessive and if you need help, I will bail you out." Sakura said with a face flushed with annoyance causing Naruto to calm down.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, I really needed that!" Sakura nodded in appreciation as she asked, "How should we proceed with our training? My medical skills are still the same level they were in the future along with my chakra levels and control. Even my super strength is at the same level. The same can be said for you. The only drawback is our physical stamina. I tested out my own yesterday and found that it was greater than what I originally had at this age but still behind the levels of fitness, I had in the future. I think we should increase our physical abilities as well. You can barely hold Bijū Mōdō for a couple of minutes. That would be worse than useless."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "We can join Super Bushy brow-Sensei and Bushy brows in their physical training regime. It would give us an excuse to our accelerated growth in stamina and physical skills."

"Gai-sensei and Lee's training regime huh. If we were able to even follow a quarter of their insane routine, we would improve tremendously and since I do not have Shishō here to help me, they will have to do. Do you think I should learn more Ninjutsu?"

"You should, you only have a couple of defensive and support doton jutsu. Adding a few offensive ones and a few suiton ninjutsu would only help you. I will need to learn the other four elements and then Futton, Yōton and Jiton I got from the other Bijū when they entrusted me with their chakra. Even with Kage Bunshin, that will take a lot of time." Sakura nodded in agreement as Naruto continued, "Then I also have to train with Pa and Ma to master the Toad Style ninjutsu and the various collaboration ninjutsu with summoned toads. Not to mention mastering Sennin Mōdō like Gamamaru-jiji said. I will have my hand full with them."

"You will also be picking up Fūinjutsu, it was you clan specialty after all." Sakura said getting a groan from Naruto who had collapsed on his couch. Sakura sat down beside him, patted his head, and said with a giggle, "There, there, it isn't that bad a situation. You will just have to abuse the hell out of Kage Bunshin and every time you collapse from brain trauma, I will heal you back up. With Kurama helping, I predict you will be up and annoying everyone the very next day."

Naruto just glared at her before he yawned. He rested his head on the couch's headrest and started falling asleep. "Still feeling tired huh?" Sakura asked getting a sleepy nod as Naruto fell into a deeper sleep. Sakura watched him sleeping for a few moments before with a fond smile.

" _He looks cute when he sleeps. How come I never noticed it before?"_ Sakura thought to herself as she absently ran a hand through Naruto's messy blonde hair before she quickly brought her hand back with a massive blush adorning her face. _"What the hell am I doing? This is Naruto, the noble baka known to do the impossible, but still the baka."_ A treacherous part of her mind whispered, _"But he is you baka. He still hasn't given up on you!"_

" _But Hinata already declared her feelings to him!"_ Sakura argued with her inner self only for the Inner self to refute, _"That was in the future and even then Naruto didn't act on her confession. He had already gained a lot of respect after defeating Pein and everyone had learned of his burden. He didn't have any excuse to not date her, yet he didn't!"_

" _But I love Sasuke?"_

" _Do you, or did you love the idea of healing his broken heart? Moreover, I doubt you will be attracted to Sasuke as he is now. You and Naruto are both older in mind than body. You both will have difficulty in accepting someone your physical age, as they will not be mature enough mentally. Not to mention you did not refute Yondaime-sama's claims of you being Naruto's girlfriend when he first appeared on the battlefield with the other reincarnated Hokage and Sasuke."_

" _But how would I refute that when his dead father was happy thinking he had a girlfriend. It would have made Yondaime-sama sad!"_

" _Would it, or did you secretly liked being called Naruto's girlfriend?"_

" _I don't like Naruto like that!"_ Sakura argued with her inner self only to get a scoff from her causing Sakura to hesitate for a moment, _"Do I?"_

" _That is something you need to find out yourself. Even if I told you, you won't agree with me, even though I am a part of your psyche."_ Inner Sakura said before she went quiet leaving Sakura to mull over the direction her thoughts had taken. While mulling over her thoughts, Sakura slowly fell asleep on the couch with her head resting on Naruto's shoulder.

* * *

The sound of giggling reached the ears of two sleepy people. A pair of mesmerizing cerulean eyes opened to see Jiraiya standing in front of them, writing in a small notepad while giggling.

"Ero-sennin, what are you doing?" Naruto asked as he tried to get up only for a weight on his left side to hold him down. At the same time, Sakura groaned and opened her emerald eyes only to see Naruto's confused cerulean eyes staring at her.

"You two are a gold mine!" Jiraiya said with a giggle causing Sakura to realize the proximity she had with her time travelling friend and jumped back with a red face. Naruto became fearful that Sakura was about to punish him when Sakura turned her wrath on Jiraiya.

"You old pervert! You can change even the most innocent of situations into something perverted!" Sakura screamed as she punched Jiraiya into a wall. As Jiraiya slid down the wall, he groaned out, "Damn, she's like a second coming of Tsunade-hime!"

"I am still tired from the training I did yesterday! We feel asleep discussing how we were going to proceed with our training, got it!" Sakura said with a menacing aura, Jiraiya nodded in agreement, not wanting to feel the wrath of the girl with super strength.

"How did you get in here anyway Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked when he saw that Sakura was not about to beat him up for falling asleep beside her.

Jiraiya perked up at Naruto's question and said, "Oh right, Sensei wants you in his office tomorrow morning to pick up the documents pertaining to your heritage and inheritance when you go to pick up your Ninja Registration Card. Now get up and dress in the formal Kimono I placed on your bed. We need to get to the Hokage Mansion soon. Sensie is about to announce your heritage and status." Jiraiya said getting a nod from Naruto.

"What should I do Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked getting a thoughtful look from the old pervert.

"I want you to head to the Hospital tomorrow. Sensei has arranged for you to take an exam to evaluate your skills as an Iryōnin. If you pass, you will become a certified Iryōnin. The level of clearance you will have will depend on your skill and marks. Now get home, change into something comfortable, and head to the assembly. If I know sensei, he is going to scold the older populace, so be ready for a long winded speech." Sakura nodded before she vanished in a puff of smoke and leaves.

* * *

Hiruzen was standing at the edge of the roof looking out at the see of faces moving about in front of the Hokage Mansion. He could hear the civilians standing talking to each other, moving about in the crowd. The ninja on the other hand were standing in close-nit groups whispering to their comrades while looking about for probable threats. The newly minted Genin were standing at the front of the crowd and looking up in confusion, all except Sakura who was out of her usual ninja gear and was now wearing a long red qipao with a silver slug embroidery running all over the dress. Hiruzen saw that unlike her former classmates, she had come armed with a kunai holster peeking from the slits in the qipao. Hiruzen also noticed a medical pouch hanging from her waist.

" _She has a completely different demeanor from her fellow Genin. Is it all right of me to put her with Naruto-kun? It would disrupt the balance of the team."_ Hiruzen thought with a pensive expression when Jiraiya and Naruto arrived in a Konoha Shunshin. Hiruzen turned to greet the two but was stunned at how Naruto looked.

Naruto was wearing a white Kimono that highlighted his blonde hair. An embroidery of a fox with nine tails with its tails wrapping around the hems was done in deep crimson thread. A toad, done in gold thread, was seen sitting on the foxes head with a yellow halo like appearance around its body as if it had flashed onto the foxes head. A large Uzumaki swirl was embroidered in red thread on the back. Naruto's messy hair seemed to be spiking up at random places, giving him a wild appearance. Hiruzen could easily see the resemblance the boy had with his parents with a bit of his own uniqueness thrown in.

"You look handsome, Naruto-kun. Where did you get that Kimono?" Hiruzen asked getting a shrug from the boy.

"Don't know Jiji, Ero-sennin gave it to me." Hiruzen turned to Jiraiya only to see the white haired Sannin wiping away a tear from his eye.

"It was commissioned by Kushina a couple of months before she died. I had the embroideries tweaked a bit after they died. Kushina wanted this to be the Kimono he was to wear when he was formally introduced as the Uzumaki Clan Heir. I thought it was time for him to wear it. Kushina had personally embroidered the fox onto the Kimono." Jiraiya said getting a shocked look from Naruto and a happy one from Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama, everyone is assembled!" Neko said as she appeared beside the Hokage in a Konoha Shunshin. Hiruzen nodded and walked forward towards the edge of the roof. Everyone quieted down when everyone saw the Hokage preparing to speak.

"It is rare that I call a village wide assembly. Normally it spells the sharing of bad news, while at rare time's good news is shared. Luckily, this time, it is the latter at least to some, but before I share the news, I must say that I am greatly disappointed in many of you. Hashirama-sensei created this village so that everyone would be treated with respect and equality. He created this village so that the children could live happy lives away from the darkness that permeates the world. He would be extremely depressed at what Konoha has become now." Hiruzen said getting confused looks from everyone present.

"Is this the Konoha our beloved Yondaime sacrificed himself for? A village that would spit on his last request and victimize a hero who had unwillingly taken on a burden far greater than most understand, a village who would mentally and physically torture a young child due to ignorance and malice for something he did not have any control over. A village that would victimize the son of the very man you idolize." Hiruzen said getting confused looks from the younger generation while the older generation gasped in shock while a handful denied that statement. Hiruzen let the crowd calm down a bit before he continued.

"I don't know how the child remained sane, how he can still put his life on the line for a village that has spited him so. I know that if I were in his position, I would have probably tried to destroy the village and succeeded with the power that was sealed within the child. Young ones, all who were too young to remember the Kyūbi attack or were born after it, I have a confession to make. The day the Kyūbi attacked, the Yondaime did not kill it. No living man can kill it permanently. Within nine years, the beast would have been back. Therefore, the Yondaime did what was the only sure way to defeat a being like the Kyūbi. He sealed it in a newborn child at the cost of his own soul. With his dying breath, he asked that the child be seen as the hero he is, instead of the beast sealed within him."

"Who is the child Hokage-sama?" Many of the younger generation asked with curiosity when Hiruzen did not continue. After a few moments, Hiruzen motioned for someone to walk forward. As Naruto came into view, the younger generation looked stunned while many of the older generation looked at him with neutral faces while some stared with anger. Only a handful stared at him with respect.

"This is the child. He has bared the burden of holding back the malice of the Kyūbi while also suffering under the malice and negligence directed at him from the village he is protecting. Surprisingly, he has been able to remove the malice from the heart of the Kyūbi and befriended the beast to the point that the fox would work with Naruto-kun here to protect the village. He has done what his father entrusted him to do. I give you Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki and the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the Akai Chishio no Habanero, Uzumaki Kushina, the present heir of the now nearly extinct Uzumaki Clan." Hiruzen said getting shocked looks from everyone except those who already knew.

"Naruto-kun here has decided to take on an S-Rank Mission to become the face of Konoha. He shall be the bar that the other nations shall judge us from now on. Even without the power of the Kyūbi, Naruto-kun is as strong as a Rookie Jonin. With the Kyūbi, he rivals the Sannin and me. He has decided to be what his father stood for, a deterrent against war with enemies and a beacon of hope for our allies and us. I am giving him the honorary title of Bijū Sannin for he himself is a sage who has developed a unique style of senjutsu and then recreated the Toad Style without help along with all privileges attached with the rank. Officially, he shall remain a Genin to gain experience working in teams. Now let's hear a cheer for the Hero of Konoha!" Hiruzen said getting a cheer from the younger generation and most of the elder generation as well. Only the most diehard civilians still disapproved of Naruto.

"All of you are now dismissed!" Hiruzen said causing most of the people to leave the area only leaving behind the Clan Heirs from Naruto's year, and Sakura with a few Jonin, Tokūbetsu Jonin and a lone Chunin. "Naruto-kun, Jiraiya will show you to your Clan home, it is protected by blood seals that only an Uzumaki can penetrate. Unfortunately, your parents' home was destroyed during the Kyūbi's attack. I was able to salvage some of their things and their personal jutsu notes from the wreckage. I will give them to you tomorrow. Now I must get back to the blasted paperwork. Ever since I started using Kage Bunshin, my load of paperwork seems to have tripled!"

"Sure thing Jiji, have fun slaying paperwork!" Naruto said with a cheeky grin causing the old Kage to grumble about smartass blonde brats and self-replicating paperwork before he vanished in a puff of smoke. "So Ero-sennin, where is the Uzumaki Clan Compound?"

"Let's get down from here and I will take you there. Mind you, the only time I have been there was on the day of your parents' marriage, so I don't know in what condition it is in now." Jiraiya said as he and Naruto jumped down from the roof and landed in front of the gathered Clan Heirs and Sakura.

"So you have a gigantic, evil, demonic, nine-tailed fox sealed in your stomach?" Ino asked with a curious tone. Naruto nodded in confusion when Ino smirked, "No wonder you eat that much Ramen and you are so short! The fox must be taking in all the nutrients making you hungrier and not growing at all!"

Everyone face-faulted at Ino's comment before Sakura screamed, "That isn't the reason he is short, he doesn't eat nutritious food. Without proper nutrition, no one will ever reach their full potential!"

"What's up with you, Forehead? I was just making a comment." Ino said causing Sakura to growl in anger.

"My goal is to surpass Tsunade-sama both as an Iryōnin and a combat medic. I make it my business to correct anyone who gives the wrong idea to my patients!" Sakura said getting a smirk from Ino and Jiraiya while a frown graced Hinata's face.

"I always thought something was wrong with the way people behaved with you, I just never realized why. You must have a very strong mental fortitude to remain sane with the amount of hatred and negligence the populace directed at you." Naruto nodded in appreciation of Shikamaru's compliment. "But don't think I will treat you any different just because you have held the Kyūbi at bay since you were born or because you are Yondaime-sama's son. I will keep treating you as I have you troublesome blonde." Everyone present nodded in agreement, even the shy Hinata and the boisterous Kiba.

"Thanks guys. You do not know how much this means to me. I want to be recognized for my achievements not my fathers. The only reason I wanted it revealed now was to direct Iwa and Kumo's eyes onto me instead of Konoha."

"That is a daring chance you took Naruto-san. You are just a Genin, even if you are titled a Sannin. It is logical to let the elder generation to keep the eyes of our enemies on them while we have time to grow into the role." Shino said getting a nod from everyone except Sasuke and Sakura.

"The day I mastered Kurama's power was the day I chose to become the protector of Konoha. Other than me, both of Kumo's Jinchūriki are fully realized ones. The Yondaime Mizukage is supposed to be one as well. Besides, my father entrusted me with Kurama for a reason, if not for this, then why?" Naruto said getting reluctant nods from everyone.

"You kids should understand that sensei never did something without a reason. Beside, none but an Uzumaki can hold the Kyūbi. No one has the physical capabilities to hold such a powerful entity." The kids turned around to see Kakashi standing behind them.

"You did a hell of a job kid. I can see why father has so much belief in you. You did something that was thought to be impossible." A bearded Jonin smoking a cigarette said. Seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, he said, "I am Sarutobi Asuma. Sandaime-sama is my father."

"Yosh, your flames of youth burn brighter than the sun, make sure to never let it go out!" A green spandex clad Jonin said getting sweat drops from everyone present.

"Ah, thank you, I think!" Naruto said with a strained grin on his face. The green spandex clad Jonin nodded. The rest of the gathered Jonin and Tokūbetsu Jonin just shook their heads in exasperation.

"Gai, please refrain from corrupting the next generation with your flames of youth ideology. You already have corrupted your apprentice." A man wearing a bandana said with a severe expression on his face.

"The name's Yūhi Kurenai. These are my friends Inuzuka Hana, Uzuki Yūgao and Mitarashi Anko. We commend you on decision to become the face of Konoha. That is a noble thing. I don't think I would be able to do that if I was in your position." A Jonin with red eyes said while pointing towards a woman from the Inuzuka clan wearing a Chunin vest, a purple haired woman wearing ANBU armor and another purple haired woman with her hair done in the style of a pineapple, wearing a fishnet armor under a tan trench coat. The three women nodded in agreement with the gathered of Tokūbetsu Jonin nodding with them.

One of the gathered Tokūbetsu Jonin, one biting on a senbon, walked forward and patted Naruto on his back. "Your father helped three of us learn a variant of his Hiraishin, the Hiraijin no Jutsu. If you plan to learn his one, just come find me. It would be my honor to help you learn it. The names Shiranui Genma, you can find me in the Jonin longue."

"Thank you, I will be sure to find you when I try and learn the Hiraishin." Naruto said with gratitude when Jiraiya finally spoke up.

"Good of you all to show support of him, but we must be going. We do not know in what condition the Uzumaki Clan Compound is in, so we may have a lot of work to do. We must be going now." Everyone nodded in understanding before saying good-bye and leaving, all except Sakura and the purple haired woman wearing ANBU armor.

"How about I come and help? Then I can make sure that the baka doesn't fill his fridge with Ramen again." Sakura said causing Naruto to grumble.

"I will come along as well. I have been there many times when Kushina-sensei was alive. I remember spending hours practicing my kenjutsu under Kushina-sensei's experienced eyes, sometime staying there with her, so I would be a great help in showing Naruto-kun around."

"So you are the same Yūgao-chan Kushina always speaking of. She always said you would go far. Seeing that you are in ANBU, I think Kushina would have been proud of you. I believe that Kushina had a special sword forged just for you, while she was pregnant with Naruto. I will hand it to you tomorrow." Jiraiya said with a grin getting a smile form the purple haired ANBU.

"Mother was a kenjutsu practitioner?" Naruto asked in shock getting a nod from Jiriaya and Yūgao.

"The foremost kenjutsu expert in Konoha, I learned a lot of the basics from her. Her style, the Shi no Mai, was as graceful as it was deadly. Unfortunately, from what I can see, you do not seem to have the right type of body to use her kenjutsu style. A pity really, but the scrolls she wrote on her style are stored at the Uzumaki Clan Archives. Maybe in the future, a child of yours will be able to learn the style." Yūgao said with a fond smile getting a sad nod from Naruto. "But don't worry. You have the perfect body type to learn the Uzumaki Clan Taijutsu Style, I just cannot seem to remember the name of the style, but I know it was brutal. It used the advantages of you clan's great stamina and chakra reserve to efficient use. I remember the sound of breaking bones emanating from the other side of the privacy wall of a public Ōnsen we were bathing in, when she realized a pervert was spying on us. I remember her call the pervert Ero-sennin and that she was going to put him in critical care."

Jiraiya paled and started to sweat in fear of Yūgao realizing that it was him Kushina had beaten than fateful day. Naruto and Sakura shared a smirked when Yūgao said that she wanted to beat the pervert as well, but Kushina had not told her who he was.

"Ero-Sennin, shame on you, you spied on my mother and her student while they were bathing. Mother must be at least twenty years younger than you while Yūgao san is at least thirty!" Naruto said with Sakura snickering as Yūgao turned a murderous glare at the white haired Sannin, who had become a pale as a corpse.

"So it was you! Be happy that I do not have my Katana with me now, or I would be punishing you for your past transgressions against Sensei and me! If I find you by any Ōnsen, I will make sure that you no longer remain a man, got it?" Yūgao asked with manacing expression getting a scared nod from Jiraiya. Yūgao smiled and nodded before turning to Sakura and Naruto. "We better get going. Kushina-sensei said that seals maintained the compound but I do not know what condition it is in now that the seals have not been maintained of the past twelve years."

"We are still tired today, so it is better if we have Naruto situated before I can return home to take a nap." Sakura said as she grabbed Naruto by the collar and dragged him behind her in a random direction. Yūgao and Jiraiya smirked at the scene.

"That reminds me of Minato and Kushina after Minato saved Kushina from her abductors." Jiraiya said getting a smile from Yūgao. "You think they like each other?"

"Everyone knows that Naruto-kun has a crush on the girl. Her behavior is new, though from what I have gathered, they have been close for a long time now. They are very good. None of us ever realized that they were wearing a mask. Even now, they hide what they can truly do. So I do not know if the girl realized that she likes him or not. Then there is the Hyūga Heiress as well. Everyone knows that she has a crush on Naruto-kun, but he either doesn't realize it or he isn't interested in her like that."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding before he said with a grin, "Should we tell them that they are going the wrong way?"

"Let them wander a bit more before we tell them. I still have to get back at the gaki for dying my ANBU uniform pink that one time. I still do not know how he infiltrated ANBU HQ, but I know that the Commander has been having the new recruits searching the whole place for his infiltration point. It's been a year now, but we are still not close to figuring out how he did it." Yūgao said with a miffed tone.

Jiraiya laughed, "He would be great Spy Master in the future if he didn't take the position as Konoha's Public Face." Yugao giggled as the two followed Sakura and Naruto.

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Sennin Mōdō = Sage Mode_**

 ** _Akai Chishio no Habanero = Red Hot-Blooded Habanero_**

 ** _Nidaime Kiiroi Senko = Second Yellow Flash_**

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Hiraishin = Flying Thunder God_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Konoha Shunshin = Leaf Body Flicker_**

 ** _Hiraijin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Formation Technique_**

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 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	4. Chapter 3 - The Future Hokage's Pupil

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

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 ** _A/N: Answer to a Review: -_**

 ** _Having Sarutobi execute someone for 'breaking his law' when the guy didn't mention Naruto's name and didn't reveal any more information to the room about the Kyubi than the Hokage himself did in the sentence before, makes him seem childish and petty, not strong or protecting._ \- **_This what a guest reviewer calling herself Ann left on the 5th of August._

 _The answer to it is simple. First of all, the law pertains to everyone excluding Naruto, the subject of the law, and the Current Hokage, Sarutobi himself. Anyone other than them revealing this would in fact be breaking the law. So I find it agreeable that Sarutobi executed the Civilian Councillor for breaking the law, even if it seems childish and petty. We need to also accept that the Shinobi Village System is a Dictatorship, not a Democracy. The Kage's hold absolute power, if they didn't, then Yagura couldn't have ordered the Bloodline Massacres as easily as he did._

 _Besides, Sarutobi has a soft spot for Naruto. Until now he was afraid that since Naruto fell under the Civilian Populace at the time, Naruto would be abused even more than he already was. Now that Naruto has become a Shinobi, therefore under his direct command, Sarutobi is no longer afraid of Naruto's well being._

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 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them, even your's Guest Reviewer Ann! :)**

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" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

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 **Chapter 3 – The Future Hokage's Pupil**

Early in the morning, Naruto's cerulean eyes opened to the sight that caused confusion to the blonde haired boy. Above him was a roof paneled with rich red colored wooden panels. The grains on the wooden panels were arranged so that the Uzumaki Clan Symbol was floating in a lighter red coloration on a deeper red background. After a few moments, the events of the previous day returned to the boys mind causing him to jump out of bed in excitement.

"Yatta, Sakura-chan, and I now have a private place to train!" He exclaimed when a knocking on the wooden frame of the Shōji screen leading out of the Clan Head's bedroom caught his attention. "Ah, who is it?"

"It's me Naruto. Get dressed and come with me. We need to discuss a few things!" A feminine voice called out causing a bright smile to form on the blonde Jinchūriki's face.

"Alright Sakura-chan, I will meet you at the dining room as fast as I can."

"Alright Naruto, but try and be done within half-an-hour, it is already seven in the morning. We have to finish our ninja registration today, and make sure that you don't do something weird baka!" Sakura said with a monotone causing Naruto to shiver in fright.

"Su… Sure Sakura-chan!" Naruto saw the shadow of Sakura nod and walk away causing him to sigh in relief. After a moment, he rushed towards the private bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

Sakura was cooking a simple breakfast of rice, steamed vegetables, teriyaki chicken, and miso soup when Jiriaya appeared in the kitchen with a confused look on his face.

"Huh, when did you get here?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk, getting a sigh from the pink haired Iryōnin.

"Good morning to you too, Jiraiya-sama, I came here nearly fifteen minutes ago. I need to make sure that the baka does not do something idiotic again like painting his face like a Kabuki actor for his ninja registration picture. Would you like some breakfast?"

"No thanks, I already had breakfast. I just came by to give Naruto a scroll and tell him something before I have to leave to follow up a new lead in my spy network." Jiraiya said with a sad sight getting an understanding nod from Sakura.

"It must be hard to not be able to directly involve yourself in your godson's life because your job is more critical to the survival of Konoha, huh?"

"You don't know that half of it. Being a spymaster takes you far away from your home for long periods. I do miss Konoha and Naruto a lot when I am away, but I know that what I do keeps Konoha and Naruto safe. That allows me to keep on going even when I suffer from homesickness." Jiraiya said with a melancholic sigh.

Sakura smiled with encouragement as she said, "But as you said, what you do keeps Konoha and Naruto safe. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to grow up without a war waging around us. For that our generation is thankful to you."

"Thank you for your kind words. Most do not understand what it is like to be away from home for years just so that it remains standing. You need some help with that?" Jiraiya asked seeing Sakura attempting to carry three trays of food to the dining room. Sakura nodded with a grateful smile as Jiraiya took two of the trays from her.

As the two were laying the trays on the dining room table, Naruto walked in wearing the uniform Jiraiya gave him. On his forehead was a hitai-ate with the kanji for Bijū and Sennin engraved on the plate. His previous hitai-ate was acting like a belt.

"Where did you get the hitai-ate?" Sakura asked with confusion, as she was sure that Naruto did not have time to arrange for a Kage Bunshin to go and buy them or more like custom order them.

"Huh… Oh, Ma came by with the hitai-ate this morning when I came out of the bathroom. She said that because I was an honorary Sannin, I should look the part." Sakura nodded in understanding while Jiraiya cried in anguish.

"Why did Ma give you a hitai-ate when I had to custom order mine?"

"That's because you had already had your unique costume before you were given the title of Sannin, so I didn't give you anything, Jiraiya-chan." Ma said as she hopped into the room causing Jiraiya to cry even more. Naruto and Sakura watched with awkward silence as Jiraiya cried while Ma clicked her tongue in irritation before he rammed a rolling pin on Jiraiya's head causing the man to fall onto the ground with a huge bum on his head.

"Still acting like a child, when will you start acting your age Jiraiya-chan?" Jiraiya stood up with a depressed expression and mumbled something causing Ma to growl out, "What was that Jiriaya-chan, you want me to hit you again?"

"No… I was just wondering why you are still here. It is unlike you to stay longer than necessary?"

"And how do you know that my reason for staying isn't necessary? Anyway, Naruto-chan, I want you to summon Pa or me tomorrow morning, we will start teaching you the some of the toad style ninjutsu. Then we can spar using senjutsu and the ninjutsu you learned."

"Alright Ma, datteboyo!"

"And you need to get rid of that verbal tick. Many won't take you seriously with that present." Ma said bluntly causing Naruto to hang his head mumbling that he was much better than before. Ma nodded and before she returned to Myōbokuzan she said, "Good bye everyone, have a nice day!"

"Alright she's gone no more rolling pins to the head. That old hag can be such a pain sometimes." Jiraiya said just before a shiver went down his spine. Turning his head, he saw Sakura and Naruto with sinister smiles on their faces. "Ah, you two will not tell her I called her a hag, will you?"

"Who knows? May be, if you promise not to spy at the public Ōnsen," Sakura said getting causing Jiraiya to pale before he exclaimed, "THAT'S BLACKMAIL!"

"Didn't you have something tell and give to Naruto?" Sakura asked with a nonchalant tone causing Jiraiya to snap his fingers in realization.

"Right, Naruto, I will have to be leaving soon. A new lead came up on my spy network, which may be harmful to Konoha if we do not follow up. Therefore, I am leaving you a scroll with instructions on how to do Minato's Rasengan and a couple of my own ninjutsu techniques. Do not get disheartened if you do not get the Rasengan within a month. It took me six months to learn it and took your father three years to create it." Jiraiya said with pride after he handed Naruto a scroll. Naruto chuckled and Sakura giggled when he finished is little speech.

"You mean this?" Naruto said as he created a perfect Rasengan causing Jiraiya to face fault.

"How long ago did you learn that?" Jiraiya asked with shock causing Naruto and Sakura to laugh in amusement.

"Dad transferred the knowledge of the separate steps of mastering the Rasengan to me before his chakra dissipated. That was a year ago. It took me a week to learn it and then some time more to master and then complete it." Naruto said causing Jiraiya to stare at the boy as if he was seeing a ghost.

"What do you mean complete it? Did you add elemental chakra into it?" Naruto nodded causing Jiraiya to nearly faint before he stared shaking Naruto like a ragdoll. "How did you stabilize it without having the whole construct explode?"

"Jiraiya-sama, if you let go of him, he will be able to tell you." Sakura said as he gently pried Jiraiya's arms from Naruto's shoulder. Jiraiya looked sheepish while Naruto glared at the Sannin with annoyance.

"Use senjutsu to stabilize the technique or you can use Bijū chakra. Use Kage Bunshin to add the element at first, until you become adept enough to do it yourself," Naruto said with a smile getting blank look from Jiraiya. "Want me to show you?"

"Hell no, you aren't going to be demonstrating Fūton: Rasenshuriken here!" Sakura said with a shiver getting a surprised look from Jiraiya.

"I wasn't going to throw it. I would have dispelled it after showing it to him!" Naruto whined getting a sigh from Sakura.

"Alright, but only show, no using it," Sakura said causing Naruto smile and nod. He closed his eyes for a few minutes before he opened them again showing he was in Sennin Mōdō. He stood up, raised his hand above his head, and formed a normal Rasengan. Jiriaya looked confused until a swirling blade of wind chakra formed around the Rasengan core. A high-pitched screeching sound emanated from the Rasenshuriken. A strong whirlwind formed in the room before Naruto suddenly dissipated it.

"So how was it?" Naruto asked only to see that Jiraiya kept staring at the spot the Rasenshuriken was with a blank look, "You alright there Ero-sennin?"

"I think he fainted in shock?" Sakura said uncertainly as she poked the man getting an understanding nod from Naruto.

"Can't blame him, Rasenshuriken is just too awesome," Naruto said just as his stomach grumbled causing him to grin sheepishly. "Guess I am hungry!"

Sakura just sighed as she took a seat at the table and started eating her share of the breakfast after pointing Naruto to his. After they finished their breakfasts, Naruto remembered that Sakura wanted to talk with him, "Ne, Sakura-chan, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Let's head to the garden, leave a clone behind. Jiraiya-sama shouldn't hear this and he does need to know where we are heading." Naruto nodded and created a Kage Bunshin to watch over the unconscious Sannin as the original and the pink haired Iryōnin walked out of the room.

* * *

Naruto sat down at the edge of the Koi Pond with Sakura beside him; both wore a serious expression on their faces. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Sakura spoke up, "How do you think the rest of the world will react to the revelation of your heritage and status?"

"I don't know Sakura-chan. I just hope that Iwa is not idiotic enough to start a war. That is just what Akatsuki needs to hide their movements. If the Fourth Shinobi War starts between the Great Five Nations and their allies instead of the Alliance and the Akatsuki, then I will have to do the only thing left to save my fellow Jinchūriki. I will have to leave Konoha and create an organization to combat the Akatsuki with the rest of the Jinchūriki." Sakura gasped in shock but nodded in understanding. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"If you leave, I will come with you. I didn't come back to the past only to see the world be destroyed by Akatsuki." Naruto gave a nod as he smiled softly at the girl.

The two sat there in silence and stared at the koi fish swimming in the pond without a care in the world. It was in this scene that Yūgao walked into as she shunshined into Uzumaki Estate in search for Naruto and Sakura. "So this is where you two have been. Hokage-sama was surprised when either of you didn't appear first thing in the morning."

Naruto and Sakura turned around to see Yūgao in her ANBU uniform and Cat Mask. Naruto grinned and said, "Morning Neko-chan, we kind of forgot the time as we discussed what teams we would be put into and what missions are awaiting us!"

"Morning Neko-san, sorry for having you come here. We will be going right now!" Sakura said with a bow as she placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and vanished in shunshin. Yūgao smiled as the two left before she left as well.

* * *

"Ah, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, good of you to show up, these are your ninja registration cards. They contain your ninja registration numbers and other relevant information that are not security risks but still important, and I am thankful that you didn't do something crazy for the photo." Hiruzen said as he handed over their respective registration cards. Both took the cards with a silent nod before looking them over. Sakura's picture showed the perfect image of a Kunoichi, while Naruto's was different. Naruto was wearing his new ANBU style cloths and orange vest. The red haori with yellow lightning bolts lying over the vest and finally the new hitai-ate. Unlike last time, this time, his face was serious.

"Now all that was salvaged from your parents' house, I put in this scroll. Go through it when you have time. Now normally I do not do this but with your skills and teamwork, I think it best to ask, what do you think of working under Hatake Kakashi, your father's surviving student, with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Naruto and Sakura thought for a few moments before they turned to each other and started going through hand signs Hiruzen was not familiar with, after a few moments they nodded to each other and turned back to Hiruzen with a serious expression. Sakura finally spoke up, "I mean no disrespect Hokage-sama but would that make our team disproportionately strong. We have no problem working under Hatake-san and with Sasuke, but aren't teams meant to be balanced?"

Hiruzen nodded with a smile, "You two remind me of when I used to teach Jiraiya and Tsunade. You are right in that your team would be stronger than usual, but this year, there are many Clan Heirs passing. Due to that, we are creating specialized teams. Your team's specialty will be Front Line Fighters and Heavy Assault. If required, extraction from behind enemy lines. I think that a team as powerful as you will serve well in those positions." Naruto and Sakura nodded in understanding.

"Alright Jiji, just tell sensei that if he lets Sasuke be the teme he normally is, I will send the teme to the hospital. Sorry Sakura-chan, but you know why I said that!" Naruto said with a guilty expression getting a sad smile and a nod from Sakura.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked only for Sakura to reply.

"Sasuke is too entrenched in his want to extract vengeance for his clan. He can become a liability if anyone powerful offers him a shortcut to power, or he thinks his comrades are holding him back, he can easily turn on us. Fortunately, I have enough knowledge to be able to keep an eye on his mental condition, but if I see that he is deteriorating to a dangerous mental state, then I request permission to suspend his Ninja License and assign him to psychological counseling." Sakura said with a serious expression getting a surprised look from Naruto.

Hiruzen hummed as he thought about it before his expression turned serious, "Is that a request as a comrade or a fully certified Iryōnin?"

"As a fully certified Iryōnin," Sakura said without hesitating causing Hiruzen to nod.

"Request granted. I will have the scroll written up and give to you by the time of team assignments."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Sakura said with a bow getting a smile from the old man when the door to the Hokage office opened and in rushed a spiky brown haired boy with a long blue scarf, wielding a kunai. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a red konoha symbol, grey pants, and blue goggles on his forehead.

"This is it Jiji! I will defeat you today and take the hat from you!" The boy exclaimed as he ran into the office before tripping on his own scarf. Hiruzen just sighed and Naruto stared at the boy with a well-hidden fond smile. Sakura just stared in confusion before she groaned.

"Huh, you two tripped me!" Konohamaru said as got up and pointed at Sakura and Naruto causing both of the former to sigh and the latter to pick up the boy by the collar of his t-shirt.

"Listen gaki, you tripped over your own scarf!" Naruto said with annoyance as he raised his fist when Ebisu ran into the room screaming, "Honorable grandson, where are you?"

Seeing Konohamaru being held by Naruto, Ebisu grunted out, "Unhand him ruffian! He is the grandson of Sandaime-sama!"

Konohamaru grinned as he looked up at Naruto expecting to see the look of awe only to see annoyance, "I don't care if the Hokage is his grandmother!" Naruto said as he punched Konohamaru on the head. "Besides, my father is the Yondaime!"

"Huh!" Ebisu said as he critically stared at Naruto before exclaiming, "Ah, Naruto-sama, forgive me. I didn't recognize you without your orange tracksuit!"

Naruto just waved it off and turned his attention back to Hiruzen, "I am going Jiji. I will see you when I have a bit of free time. Kurama is pushing me to quickly master the basics of the five elements."

"I will be leaving as well Hokage-sama; I need to get back to my endurance training!" Sakura said as the two tried to walkout of the room only for Konohamaru to say, "Huh, who's the flat chested girl?"

Naruto, Hiruzen and Ebisu paled in fear and an ominous presence filled the room centered around Sakura who had a sweet smile. As Sakura approached the brown haired boy, the other three would swear that they saw a demonic entity overlapping Sakura's position. "You are quite the sweet little gaki, aren't you?"

"That I am, flat chested girl!" Konohamaru said without fear only causing the other three to shiver in fright. Sakura raised her hand and curled her index finger into a flicking position.

"Remember Sakura-chan, he isn't a Jinchūriki! Do not hurt him too much… eep," Naruto exclaimed when Sakura turned her smiling face at him. Naruto could swear that he was looking at the face of the enraged Jūbi again.

Sakura turned back to Konohamaru and said, "It isn't polite to talk about a ladies age and their figure gaki. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"What did I say? I just said that you are flat chested!" Konohamaru said with a clueless face. Tick marks formed on Sakura's forehead as Hiruzen, Naruto and Ebisu were now trying to look as small as they could so as to not direct the girls irritated attention on them.

"SHANNARO!" Sakura screamed as she flicked Konohamaru on the forehead causing the boy to fly into the wall. Hiruzen and Ebisu paled to the complexion of a corpse at the show of strength. Ebisu thinking that angering the girl would lead to him spending an extended stay at the hospital while Hiruzen thought, this is the second coming of Tsunade. She even has the same anger problems as his former student.

As the boy crumpled to the ground staring at Sakura in awe, Sakura turned to the rest of the occupants of the room and said, "Sorry for cracking the wall. I made sure to hold back so that Konohamaru-kun will only have a couple of bruises, nothing more!" Hiruzen nodded as Sakura walked up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder before both vanished in a shunshin.

"That was scary! So what did you learn Konohamaru-kun?" Hiruzen said drawing the attention of a catatonic Ebisu. Both looked at where Konohamaru was only to see that he was missing. "Oh no, I hope that he doesn't anger Sakura-chan anymore. I don't think the girl will be able to hold back a second time."

Ebisu looked surprised and asked, "Forgive my insolence Hokage-sama, but shouldn't you punish the girl for harming your grandson?"

"No, Konohamaru-kun was in the wrong. Because everyone treats him as my grandson and not as himself, he acts out in an attempt to gain attention on himself. He is not afraid to insult anyone, as he knows that most will not do anything to him. Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun's influence should remove that out of him." Ebisu nodded in understanding before he realized that Konohamaru was still missing.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama; I need to make sure that the Honorable Grandson doesn't get into trouble again." Ebisu said as he rushed out of the door calling out for Konohamaru to wait for him.

* * *

"Naruto?"

"Yeah Sakura-chan?"

"That is Konohamaru under the box following us, right?" Naruto sighed when Sakura pointed out the horrid disguise the brown haired boy was using. After a moment of thought, Naruto sighed again before he vanished from Konohamaru's line of sight, leaving Sakura behind with a confused look.

"Huh, where did he go?" Konohamaru said inside the box causing Sakura to palm his face in embarrassment. As Konohamaru looked around from the peepholes, someone suddenly lifted the box off him, surprising the boy.

"Huh, what happened?" Konohamaru said before a fake cough drew his attention. Turning around, he sheepishly looked up into the eyes of Naruto who had a disappointed look in them.

"Why are you following us Konohamaru?" Naruto asked seriously causing the boy's face to light up in happiness. "And you do know that a rock is meant to be asymmetrical, right?"

"Huh, I didn't know that!" Konohamaru said with confusion causing Naruto and Sakura to sigh again.

"Who has been teaching you stealth?" Sakura asked only for the boy to declare with pride that it was Ebisu.

Naruto grinned and said, "I should have known. Anyway, you haven't told us why you were following us?"

"Ebisu-sensei says that his teachings will make me into a kickass ninja in a very short time, but until now, I feel as if I have barely gotten stronger. How can I become Hokage, if I am weak? That is why I wanted you two to teach me! I heard that you two took out a chunnin without trouble. You two are very strong. I what to become strong like you two so that I can become Hokage. Then everyone would see me as Konohamaru, and not as the honorable grandson of the Hokage!" Konohamaru stated with despair getting an understanding nod from the duo.

"Alright Konohamaru, I will teach you, that is when I have free time. Meet me at Ichiraku Ramen tomorrow at noon. We will have lunch and then I will show you where I live. It has private training grounds we can use. However, know this; I am not helping you so that you want to become Hokage. I also want to become Hokage, but the reason why is different. Being a leader is the main job of the Hokage. He is not just the strongest shinobi in the village. He is also the one who inspires everyone under his command to do better, the one who administer the economic and political policies for the betterment of the village. Are you sure, that is what you want? Besides you do not become Hokage to be recognized, recognition leads to the Jonin Council voting you in as Hokage. If you want to become strong, don't do it because you want to be Hokage, become strong so that you can protect those precious to you!" Naruto declared with passion causing a metaphorical fire to light up in the boy's eyes.

With a massive grin Konohamaru replied, "Got it boss! You do not become strong to become Hokage, you become strong to protect those precious to you. The Hokage is the strongest because the whole village is precious to him, right."

"That's right Konohamaru. One can only become strong if they have someone precious. Do you, if you do not then find someone precious, be it friends, comrades or even family. Just do everything in your power and then some more to protect that precious someone. Then you will truly be strong. Just look at my father, he defeated Kurama, the Kyūbi, because he was protecting the Village and me." Konohamaru nodded solemnly in understanding before Naruto called out, "Aren't you coming? You did want to train with me, right?"

Konohamaru looked up to see Naruto and Sakura had already walked far into the distance. With a startled look, Konohamaru scurried behind the two time travelling shinobi with hopes to become stronger, not for himself, but for those precious to him.

* * *

Ebisu had been searching for Konohamaru for over three hours now and had yet to find the boy. Ebisu sighed in annoyance but kept search for his wayward charge. He had looked in all the boy's usual haunts only to come up empty. The only place he has not searched yet was the training grounds. Now that he thought about it, Konohamaru had vanished right after Naruto and Sakura had, so it was probable that he had followed the duo. With that though in mind, Ebisu headed towards the training grounds.

As Ebisu was nearing the training grounds, he started calling out to Konohamaru. "Honorable Grandson, where are you? How will you become Hokage without my shortcut to training?" What the glass wearing Jonin did not realize was that Naruto, Sakura, and Konohamaru heard him but chose to ignore his calls. The first thing Naruto did was explain to Konohamaru that there were no shortcuts to strength, so when Ebisu called out to the boy, the boy ignored the man's claims to a shortcut in training and kept doing with Naruto taught him to do.

As Ebisu walked into the clearing where the trio were training, he saw that Konohamaru kept calmly trying to walk up the tree with varying degrees of success. Near him, five hundred clones of Naruto were training, all of them doing different nature chakra training. One group was trying to burn a wet leaf. Another was trying to draw out the water from a leaf causing it to dry up. Yet another was trying to make a leaf crumble to dust. The second to last was trying to make a leaf crumple up with Raiton chakra. The final group was training in perfecting Sennin Mōdō. The original was sparring with the Sakura, who had attached heavy chakra weights to her legs, arms, and torso.

"This is surprising; I didn't think that the Honorable Grandson would be willing to train in chakra control without a reward. He mainly screams for new jutsu!" Ebisu exclaimed to himself getting Sakura Konohamaru's attention. The brown haired boy turned to Ebisu with a deadpan look and simply said, "You never told me how important chakra control was to learning jutsu!"

"Get back to training Konohamaru; you said that you would master it by the end of the day, so get to it!" Naruto said seriously causing Konohamaru to nod and start walking up the tree again nearly reaching the top this time before he was blasted off the trunk. Ebisu watched as Konohamaru flipped and landed on his feet and a single extended arm before repeating the exercise.

"Amazing isn't it, what a little motivation can do?" Ebisu turned to see Naruto standing beside him with Sakura healing a couple of bruise on her arms a couple of feet away from them. The bandana wearing Jonin nodded in agreement before asking, "How did you get him to realize that chakra control was this important? I tried to explain before, but he just brushed me off."

"Simple really, he believed that knowing many jutsu would make him strong. I just showed him that though I am strong, I only have a few jutsu under my command. What I made him realize is that if one learns many jutsu but not master the basics, would only weaken him. Instead, I told him that getting better chakra control would allow him to learn jutsu faster and master them better. In turn, he would become stronger, though it will not be immediately apparent."

"I see that's where I failed him. I normally train, seasoned ninja who are recent recruits in ANBU Black Ops. I expected the Honorable Grandson to have the same mentality as seasoned ninja. That is why he doesn't listen to me." Ebisu said with a thoughtful look on his face. Turning to Naruto, he bowed and said, "I thank you for making me see the mistakes I have made with the Honorable Grandson, Naruto-sama."

"That along with you calling him Honorable Grandson instead of his given name, if you had called him Konohamaru from the start, he would have respect you more. In fact, he would have taken your teaching method much better if you had seen him as Konohamaru instead of Jiji's grandson." Naruto said with a grin causing Ebisu to stare at the blonde haired jinchūriki with awe. He could not believe that someone younger than him was far wiser.

"I thank you for your advice Naruto-sama. Now as it seems that Konohamaru-sama is safe, I can leave him here for the moment while I plan a new training plan for him. How long are you planning to train here?"

"I can train the whole day, Sakura-chan will do the same. I believe that Konohamaru will not give up unless he faints from exhaustion or masters the tree walking exercise, so he would be here for a long time as well. If I see that he is over doing it, I will make him stop and take him to the Sarutobi estate myself, so you don't have to worry about the gaki." Ebisu nodded before he vanished in a shunshin.

"Why didn't you tell him that you plan to take Konohamaru as you apprentice in the future?" Naruto turned around and stared at his pink haired comrade with a grin.

"Where's the fun in that? I want to see the look on his face when he finally learns of my plans. He already had his chance to make Konohamaru into someone great. He failed just as most of my teachers failed me. He did not see the diamond hidden among the quartz." Sakura nodded before a sly smirk appeared on her face.

"My, I wonder how Tsunade-sama, Iruka-sensei, and Jiraiya-sama would have reacted to you taking on a student. I know that Tsunade-sama would have drunk herself into a stupor complaining about another loudmouth gaki disturbing the peace of her village! Iruka-sensei and Jiraiya-sama would be very proud of you right now."

"Baa-chan wouldn't complain!" Naruto exclaimed with indignation only for Sakura to giggle at the Uzumaki's pouty face.

"Believe what every you want, now how about another round?" Sakura said before she charged Naruto with a fist glowing with accumulated chakra. With a grin, Naruto jumped back as Sakura smashed her fist into the ground causing a massive fissure to form. Konohamaru, who had finally made it to the top of the tree watched in shock at the strength exhibited by the slim girl.

* * *

The next day, Konohamaru met up with Naruto and Sakura at Ichiraku Ramen. After a quick lunch, the trio headed towards Naruto's Clan Estate.

"So this the Uzumaki Estate." Konohamaru stated as he walked into the compound behind Sakura and Naruto. Naruto just grinned at the boy as he walked towards the large Ōnsen at the back of the compound.

"I hope you brought your swimming trunks Konohamaru. I can assure you that you will get wet!" Naruto said with a grin causing Konohamaru to shudder in anticipation.

"Sure I did! What do you take me for?" Konohamaru said with a pout as he pulled out a dark green pair of swimming trunks from his hip pouch.

"Then quickly get changed and meet me here. You can change in that room!" Naruto said as he pointed to a small shack off to the compound. With a quick nod, Konohamaru rushed into the shack and closed the door behind him.

"You are having way too much fun training him!" Naruto turned around to see Sakura wearing a red two-piece bikini. "Huh you look cute, are you planning to join Konohamaru in his training? I thought we already mastered it?"

"Baka, my muscles are sore from yesterday's training. I am going to be relaxing in the Ōnsen and watch as Konohamaru has fun finding out how to walk on water." Sakura said with a small blush as she walked out to the other side of the Ōnsen and fell in with a small splash. Are you going to watch him, or do you have something else planned?"

"I am going to read through the books on sealing Ero-sennin gave me. I need to start somewhere!" Naruto said as he brought out a black book with the title, 'A Beginners Guide to Fūinjutsu Volume I by Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato.' Sakura nodded in understanding as she lazed about in the Ōnsen when Konohamaru walked out of the shack.

"Huh, why are you in the Ōnsen?" Konohamaru asked with confusion only to get a giggle out of Sakura. Naruto ignored the boy in favor of reading the book on fūinjutsu.

"I am just relaxing. Why don't you get started with the water walking exercise, Konohamaru-kun? Remember that unlike tree walking, where the surface remains stable, the surface of the water is ever changing. You will have to adjust the flow of chakra to be able to keep afloat. Why don't you try it?" Konohamaru nodded and was about to walk on to the water when Sakura said, "Mind your step, the water will feel very hot at first!"

Konohamaru nodded and walked onto the water with jerky steps. Surprisingly, the boy was doing much better than both Sakura and Naruto expected. He had good chakra control for someone his age and with his larger than average chakra reserves. For the next hour, Konohamaru carefully walked about the surface of the Ōnsen, sometimes, losing control, and falling in only to rise back up and try again. All that time Sakura lazed about in the Ōnsen with Naruto sitting under a large tree reading his book.

"We have been here for an hour already! How much have you read until now?" Naruto looked up to see Sakura standing above him, toweling her hair dry.

"I have read through the first three chapters. The one about what Fūinjutsu is according to my clan and the comparison of that definition with the international one. The next was about the different kinds of seals in existence and their classification. The third chapter introduces the reader to the various elements of a seal with some simple examples. The fourth chapter, the one I am reading is about two different character sets used in Fūinjutsu. The chapter only gives the list of international set. I believe that my Clan set will not be in these books, only the theory and rules my clan had developed. I will have to check the Clan Library to learn that set. The final chapter of this book should be an introduction to basic safety procedures and the basic rules of Fūinjutsu." Sakura nodded in understanding as she removed the towel from her head and wrapped it around her waist.

"I am surprised that you understood what the book said so easily. You generally learn through doing instead of reading. Must be the genetic disposition you have to fūinjutsu." Naruto nodded and returned his attention back to the book as Sakura walked away towards the main house.

A loud cheer drew Naruto's attention nearly an hour later. He looked up from the book to see Konohamaru whooping as he ran about on the surface of the water like it was dry land. "Good job, Konohamaru. You got something that takes most Genin weeks to learn. You have great chakra control that has now been refined even more. With your new control, theoretically, you can now learn and master any jutsu with ease." Konohamaru grinned with glee at the thought of new jutsu when Sakura walked out of the main house in her usual shinobi gear.

"Don't give him false hopes Naruto. Mastering Chakra Control does help but he is still a long way off until he can master any jutsu with ease. He needs a very good theoretical foundation for that to happen. Unlike you, most don't have an innate understanding of chakra manipulation." Sakura said getting causing Naruto to pout and Konohamaru to look depressed. "Theory is very important Konohamaru. Learn theory and come to me if you do not understand anything. I will make sure that you understand them. Why would you want to learn jutsu when you can create your own if you understand the theory well enough?"

"Really, I can create my own Jutsu?" Konohamaru asked with awe getting a chuckle out of the elder duo. Sakura nodded with a smile on her face as she said, "Why do you think your grandfather is called the Professor. He has a great understanding of theory and great chakra control. With same knowledge, I do not know why you will not reach leaves similar to him maybe even surpass him. You do want to surpass him, don't you?" Konohamaru nodded with enthusiasm causing Sakura to grin, "Then why don't we spar on the water for a bit. That will help make the exercise second nature to you. After that, I will show you a couple of books on chakra theory. You just need to start reading them."

"While Sakura-chan helps with you with chakra control, chakra theory, and genjutsu, I will help with ninjutsu and taijutsu and when you are ready, I will even start teaching you senjutsu, that is unless the Monkey Summons decided to train you themselves in the art." Naruto stated as he got while placing the book in his equipment pouch. "Now how about we make this spar a free-for-all?"

Konohamaru started sweating in fear. He knew that sparing with either Sakura or Naruto would be difficult, but to spar against both at the same time and in a battle royal, he knew that he was in for a very bad time. With a sigh of acceptance of his immediate fate, he got into the academy stance and waited for the beat down he was about to suffer.

* * *

Sasuke was walking down the road towards the Uzumaki Compound deep in thought. The day after graduation, he met with Naruto atop the Yondaime's head looking for the quickest path to strength only for Naruto to refute his claims, telling him that only time and hard work is the only path to strength while accepting help from others when needed.

Previously he would have scoffed at Naruto's words, now he accepted them without much fuss. Now that he thought about it, Itachi always told him the same thing before his betrayal leaving him, Uchiha Sasuke, as the last loyal Uchiha. At one time, he believed Itachi, but after the betrayal, it became hard for him to accept anything Itachi told him. Naruto's words showed that Itachi might have been right. Now that he thought about it, he and Naruto were similar in some aspects as well, just as Naruto and Itachi had similar mentalities.

While he knew the love of a family and then lost it, Naruto never knew the love of a family, but he understood the pain of loneliness. Then there was the fact that both of them were the last of their Clans. That day atop the Yondaime's head, Naruto had revealed his heritage to him, trusting him not to reveal it until the Hokage revealed it to the world, which according to Naruto should have been much later. He needed to remember to ask why it was revealed this soon. Now a big target was painted on Naruto's back, when he wanted to remain in anonymity until the Chunin Exams. He already pitied the team that would have Naruto on it. Iwa would be sending teams of Jonin to take that team out during missions.

The night of the revelation, he checked the Uchiha Archives for references to the Uzumaki Clan was shocked to learn of the power of the Clan, easily rivaling his own and the Senju, not to mention being distant cousins of both the Uchiha and Senju. The next surprising information about the Uzumaki Clan he found was the appearance of random mutations allowing unique kekkai genkai to be born, never completely same in two individuals activating the same kekkai genkai. To heal the critically injured with just the transfer of chakra, to be able to restrain Bijū with chains manifested through chakra and powerful sensory abilities just to mention a few. Then there were their innate skills with fūinjutsu, their extreme longevity, and massive chakra reserves. He wondered if Naruto manifested some kind of unique kekkai genkai? Well that was not important. What was was how he should proceed with his training, even if he had to swallow his pride and accept Naruto's help.

With that thought out of the way, Sasuke looked up to see the gate to the Uzumaki Estate. A large red spiral, exactly like the one Naruto had on the back of his orange jumpsuit was engraved into the top of the gates. A small seal was engraved to the side of the gate with the sign, channel chakra under it. Shrugging, Sasuke placed a finger on the seal and channeled a bit of chakra. At first, nothing happened but after a couple of minutes, the gates opened to reveal Naruto with a massive grin on his face.

"Good of you to come teme. I hope that you are ready for training, I will tell you now, if you don't have the conviction to see it through, then leave right now!" Naruto stated with a serious expression causing Sasuke to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. He had never seen Naruto like this.

"Hn, just get on with it dobe! I want to get stronger as soon as possible." Naruto nodded as he walked into the Estate with Sasuke following behind him. Naruto lead the Uchiha towards the back of the compound where they found Konohamaru and Sakura sparring, well more like Sakura trying to beat the young boy into a bloody pulp while the boy kept screaming and dodging to the best of his abilities.

"Konohamaru, you need to attack as well. Dodging will only save you for so long!" Sakura said with a sweet smile that caused a shiver to run down all three boys' spines. Naruto and Sasuke watched as Sakura raised her leg in a vertical split and brought it down on the ground causing the whole ground to crack and shatter as pieces of rock the size of small boulders flew up into the. Konohamaru did his best to dodge the rocks only for Sakura to appear in front of him and kick him out of the training ground with a roundhouse kick to the belly.

"You need to learn to attack even in the face of insurmountable odds Konohamaru. If you don't, you will never surpass jiji." Naruto stated stoically getting a nod from the kid. "Now why don't you have a rest while I help Sasuke activate his Sharingan?"

"How will you help me activate my Sharingan?" Sasuke asked intrigued while Sakura suddenly paled in realization. Naruto ignored Sasuke in favor of whining to Sakura, "Did you have to demolish the training ground again? I hate wasting chakra to repair it!"

"Stop whining, with the repairing seals embedded in the bedrock under the training ground, you will have it fixed in a second. Now have fun trying to kill Sasuke while I torment Konohamaru-kun with chakra theory. I finally realize why Iruka-sensei likes to teach." Sakura said with a grin causing Sasuke to pale in realization of what Naruto had planned. He never expected the dobe to be ruthless enough to try to kill a comrade to help them activate their kekkai genkai.

As Sasuke was lost in thought, Naruto channeled chakra into a small pedestal causing the training ground to glow before it repaired itself. Naruto called out to Sasuke causing the Uchiha to look at the previously destroyed training ground to see a pristine one. "Are you going to keep standing there, or are you going to enter the training ground?"

"Hn, I am coming dobe. Don't get worked up about it!" Sasuke said with a grunt as he walked to the center of the training ground. As soon as he got into his taijutsu stance, Naruto pulsed his chakra while going through a set of ten hand seals before slamming his hands on the ground. A pulse of chakra erupted from the ground before a pale blue translucent barrier encompassed the training ground.

"There, with that barrier ready, we can go all out! Come at me with the intent to kill, or I can assure you that you will die!" Naruto stated as his eyes changed from blue to red with black slits. A golden cloak of chakra formed around him with black sealing lines flowing through the cloak, originating from the navel. Sasuke sweated in fear of the power Naruto was giving off. Before Sasuke could react, Naruto had vanished from in front of him while at the same time; Sasuke felt an extremely strong kick land on his back, throwing him forward.

"Is that all you have got Sasuke? Uchiha Madara was rumored to be able to easily defeat the Kyūbi? Have the Uchiha become this so weak that they can't even handle a single tails worth of the Kyūbi's power?" Naruto taunted before a fist made of chakra erupted from Naruto's back and rammed into Sasuke's chest, causing the Uchiha to gasp as all the air was driven out of his lungs.

Outside the barrier, Konohamaru and Sakura watched with wide eyes as for the next half-an-hour Naruto proceeded to crush Sasuke into the ground. No matter what the Uchiha tried, Naruto had a counter to shut it down. Katon: Gōkakyu, a chakra arm dispelled the fire with a single wave. Kunai thrown into vital areas, the chakra cloak repelled them with ease. Straight up Taijutsu, Naruto was too fast for Sasuke to land a hit or dodge. To explain in a single word, it was a massacre.

"How can you control that much power so easily and with the Kyūbi's malice flowing through the chakra?" Sasuke asked as he coughed up blood.

"Because I have complete control over myself, besides I have already purified the fox of his hatred. Originally, the hatred used to eat away at my sanity. After coming to terms with my dark side, it was easy to suppress away the darkness within the Kyūbi's chakra. Soon after that, I was able to help the fox get over his hatred. If you let your hatred consume you, you will not be any better that beast Kurama had become or your brother has become. He let his darkness take over his heart. Do not become what you hate Sasuke. Avenge your clan, but do not throw away everything for vengeance!" Naruto said as he conjured a rasengan and charged at the stunned Sasuke.

"Naruto stop, that rasengan is strong enough to kill him!" Sakura screamed from outside the barrier with Konohamaru watching with morbid curiosity.

Inside the barrier, Sasuke watched as Naruto ran towards him with the spiraling ball of chakra. He heard Sakura's claim that it would kill him. He just could not bring himself to care. Naruto's recent speech had shaken him up. He realized that he was very close to becoming another Itachi. He was about to accept his fate when a voice that sounded like his brother resounded through his mind.

" _Foolish little brother, you think dying is the answer? Where is the strength of your hate? Didn't you swear that you would avenge our clan?"_ The voice of Itachi said causing the Uchiha to be flooded with determination to survive. Sasuke watched, as suddenly Naruto's pace seemed to have slowed down. He could see the flow of chakra within the small ball and the chakra coating Naruto's body, just as Naruto was about to shove the ball into his gut, Sasuke jumped to the side while drawing a kunai and flicking it towards the ball of swirling chakra. He watched with fascination as the kunai struck the ball causing it to destabilize and explode in Naruto's golden chakra coated hand before a fist made of the golden chakra struck him in the gut sending him crashing into the barrier.

Groggily, Sasuke stood up, ready for a fight he saw Naruto dispel the chakra cloak with a grin on his face. Making the ram hand seal, Naruto pulsed his chakra in a definite sequence causing the barrier to shatter and fade. "Hn, aren't we going to continue?"

"We already achieved our objective. Peer into the koi pond. I think you will be ecstatic, well as ecstatic as an emo can be." Naruto stated to the confusion of the Uchiha.

Without anything better to do, Sasuke walked up to the Koi pond and peered into the clear waters. To his shock, he saw his reflection stare back at him with red eyes instead of the usual black. Within the left eye were two tomoe while the other had one. Sasuke grinned at the revelation. Here he had been trying to activate it for years and Naruto helped him do it on the first day.

" _Foolish little brother, you may have gained the Sharingan, but you still need the Mangekyō to be able to handle me. You don't have the hatred to kill me!"_ Itachi's voice resounded through Sasuke's head again causing the boy to clench his fists in anger when he remembered Naruto's previous words.

" _No Itachi, I won't hate. It was not hate that activated my Sharingan it was help from comrades. You are only trying to make me into another version of yourself. I will kill you to avenge the clan, but I will not obsess and hate you for the darkness that now resides in your heart."_ Sasuke thought before he stood up from his crouch and walked towards Sakura, who had bandages ready.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Sennin Mōdō = Sage Mode_**

 ** _Myōbokuzan = Mount Myōboku_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu = Sealing Techniques_**

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Rasengan = Spiraling Sphere_**

 ** _Fūton: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

 ** _Katon: Gōkakyu = Fire Release: Grand Fireball_**

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 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	5. Chapter 4 - Team 7 Rebirth

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

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 ** _A/N: Answer to a Review: -_**

 **Kurama38, Review for Chapter 3,** **September** **14** **: -** **Another great chapter and I'm looking foward to the next chapter. But I do have one question why doesn't Naruto and Sakura just tell the truth to Hiruzen and Jiraiya? I'm sure if those two knew Naruto and Sakura would be able to get more done. Also if they knew Hiruzen and Jiraiya would be able to avoid their untimely fates. AndI hope that Naruto is able to save Karin and bring her to the village where they could finally live as a family.**

 _No one who hasn't lived through a war can truly understand the horrors. This Hiruzen and Jiriaya may be war veterans, but they didn't participate in the Fourth Shinobi World War. They do not know the level of danger the rest of the Shinobi Alliance faced. They didn't witness the horrific power of the Juubi. The power of a Edo Tensei Madara and Obito. So I decided that it is best that Naruto and Sakura don't alert anyone else to the future that they are here to change. Also, Hiruzen would start meddling into the plans that Naruto, Sakura and Kurama is coming up with._

 _As for Karin, we will see!_

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 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them, especially yours Satoru Ryoma! Also thanks for all the encouragements you all are giving me. It really brightens up my day! :)**

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" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

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 **Chapter 4 – Team 7 Rebirth**

Naruto and Sakura walked into their former Ninja Academy Classroom to see Sasuke was already there, sitting by himself beside the large window. Around the room, the other graduates were sitting with their friends. Ino was sitting with her civilian friends in the middle of the room. Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba were sitting in the back of the room. Shikamarun sleeping like usual, Choji eating chips, and Kiba was boasting that he would be the best ninja along with Akamaru as his partner to anyone who would listen. Shino, and Hinata were sitting on the other side of the room from Sasuke looking forward with stoic expressions, though in Hinata's case, her eyes showed her nervousness. Around the room, the civilian born graduates were excitedly whispering about what teams they would end up as members of.

"Should we sit with Sasuke?" Sakura asked in a whisper only for Naruto to shake his head.

"I will sit with him, we don't know what would happen if the rest saw you suddenly becoming friendly with him. It is best not to anger the fangirls!" Sakura nodded her head as she walked towards the empty seat beside Hinata. When Naruto sat down beside Sasuke, everyone turned to look at him in surprise. None of them had even sensed him come into the room, let alone how he made it across the room without anyone sensing him.

"Dobe, you ready for Team Assignments?" Sasuke said quietly, but everyone heard him causing a gasp to escape most of the civilian born. The Clan heirs, on the other hand, watched with a curious gaze.

"Teme, you know I am always ready. How far have you gotten in the Tree Walking Exercise?" Naruto asked getting a shocked look from everyone. Shikamaru raised his head and watched the exchange with a suspicious gaze.

"I finally made it to the top and can consistently do that now, so according to you, I have mastered the exercise, right?" Naruto shook his head.

"No you haven't, the only way to truly master it is to be able to fight while hanging upside down for an hour without losing control for even a moment. We can test how far you are along after Team Assignments." Sasuke nodded as he said, "Thanks for training me Naruto and for your help in awakening my Sharingan!"

"Don't mention it Sasuke." Naruto said when Kiba jumped out of his seat and slammed his hands into the desk in front of him.

"Why are you helping the teme train Naruto? He gets everything handed to him on a silver plate! Moreover, he is a loner, someone who could easily betray us for more power! He is always going on about killing that treacherous brother of his, and you the great Uchiha Elite, how low you have fallen to ask help from the one you considered a dobe!" Kiba exclaimed in anger causing Sasuke's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. He just grunted and looked out of the widow. Naruto on the other hand was glaring at the boy with annoyance.

"Kiba, you are a ninja, learn to keep you thoughts to yourself. Now why I am training him is simple. The day after the exams, I met Sasuke atop my father's head and told him the reason why I am strong. Sasuke asked me for training. If you asked, I would help you train as well. Next, you have no right to call him a traitor for him wanting to kill his brother. What would you do if a relative of yours slaughtered you clan? As for calling him treacherous, everyone has the capability to become a traitor. It is what you do with the impulse that makes you, you. Don't call someone a traitor before they have done something to warrant such an accusation."

A clapping sound caught everyone's attention as Naruto finished his speech. "Good speech Naruto and you Kiba, mind your tongue. What you said could be considered a slight against a fellow Konoha Clan. That carries a hefty price, either monetary or capital depending on who you are insulting. As Sasuke is the last of his clan, he is the clan heir. So insulting Sasuke will lead to you receiving ten lashes. It is in the Konoha Charter to prevent hostilities between clans. Do not test it. You are considered an adult as soon as you put the Hitai-ate on your forehead. You shall be punished as such."

Kiba nodded, stunned at what Iruka had said as the scar faced Chunin walked into the room and sat down at the Teachers desk. "Now I have a something to tell all of you. As I said to Kiba, all of you are considered an adult from now on. As such, you are now entitled to all the rights given to an adult citizen of Konoha. As a member of the Shinobi Forces, all of you are expected to behave with a certain degree of discretion. Insubordination carries a heavy price. Depending on the damage done due to insubordination, you may suffer punishments that may include suspension from the forces, dishonorable discharge, imprisonment, or even execution. I hope that you keep that in mind as you go about your daily duties. Never overstep your authority or question your superiors without proper reason. As Shinobi, you now carry the honor of our great village. I hope that all of you shall work hard in keeping the image of the village."

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Sasuke, who normally ignores such speeches. Seeing that Iruka stood up with a piece of paper in his hands, "This right here are the Team Assignments that Hokage-sama has sent to the Academy. Now I shall give you all your Team Assignments, so please keep quiet until I am done."

After that, Iruka started reading out the assignments. Naruto ignored most of the assignments until he heard Iruka call out, "Team 7 will be Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Ino stood up with a confused expression on her face and asked, "Shouldn't it be Namikaze?"

Iruka was about to answer when Naruto beat him to it, "Not really. Father was a civilian while mom was from the Uzumaki Clan, the last known member of the clan to be exact. Mom and dad decided that I should carry the name Uzumaki instead of Namikaze both to honor my fallen clan. It would also protect me from my dad's enemies, as most would expect his son to carry his name instead of his wife's maiden name."

"Ah, now I see!" Ino said with a satisfied nod causing Iruka to shake his head at Ino's habit of gathering gossip before he continued, "Team 8 will be Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyūga Hinata. Team 9 is still in circulation so Team 10 will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino."

Iruka placed the sheet of paper on his desk before looking at his class. It seems that his previous speech had a good effect on his former students. "Now I wish you all luck in your careers. I hope that all of you shall make a name for yourself. Now you may leave for lunch. Remember to be back in an hour to meet your Jonin Sensei."

Iruka was about to leave the classroom when Shikamaru stopped him, "Iruka-sensei, I have a question!"

"Go ahead Shikamaru!"

"Isn't Team 7 overpowered? I mean, Naruto may be the dobe as he always kept his marks low throughout the Academy, but we all know the power he has. Then Sasuke is the Rookie of the Year and the second best shinobi in the class right after Naruto. Finally is Sakura who was the Top Kunoichi even before her own power was revealed. Don't you think it is unfair to the rest of us?"

Iruka nodded in understanding before he said with a smile, "I understand you concerns Shikamaru, but you have to realize that unlike the first six teams, the last three are specialized ones. Take your own for example. Team 10 is created with the goal of capture, intelligence gathering, and interrogation in mind. Similarly, Team 8 is a team specializing in tracking, capture, and reconnaissance. Team 7 is going to be front line fighters, heavy support, and asset retrieval from behind enemy lines. That is why they are this powerful. They will not be the ones getting support; they will be the ones providing it."

"Troublesome, I didn't know that any Genin team could have three such difficult and dangerous specializations at the same time!" Shikamaru said with a groan getting a chuckle from Iruka.

"They wouldn't have had those specializations if Naruto and Sakura weren't as strong as they are. Naruto is probably strong enough to defeat his Jonin Sensei, depending on who his sensei is. Let me tell you something I overheard, Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama talking that on his good day, Naruto should be able to defeat either one of them." Gasps filled the room as everyone realized what that meant. At the same time, Naruto and Sakura suppressed a smirk. It seems that Jiraiya had already started his information control with Konoha as the source.

"Troublesome blonde, couldn't you have kept your abilities hidden for longer?" Shikamaru said only for Naruto to send a mischievous grin at the Nara heir causing him to shiver in fright. He really did not want to know what was going through Naruto's head at this very moment. Every time he had seen that grin, someone had ended up humiliated. He just hoped that it was not directed at him.

"Now that Shikamaru's curiosity is settled, I wish you luck and behave for your new Sensei. I am proud to call you all my students!" Iruka said before walking out of the room. Soon after, the rest of the class ran out of the room to have a quick lunch before returning to meet their Jonin Sensei.

* * *

Everyone having returned from lunch was sitting with his or her teammates. Naruto and Sakura had forced Sasuke to accompany them to Ichiraku Ramen for a quick lunch before returning to the classroom and commandeering seats in the front of the room in the middle row. After waiting for a couple of minutes, the Jonin Sensei started arriving in the classroom, and leaving with their teams. Naruto and Sakura did not recognize the Jonin Sensei for the first six teams but the final three they recognized quite well.

Yūhi Kurenai was the first to enter. She was wearing her usual red uniform of with bandages wrapped around her torso and thighs. Her hitai-ate proudly sitting on her forehead. After her entered Sarutobi Asuma, wearing the standard Konoha Jonin uniform along with his orange scarf, from his time in the Twelve Ninja Guardians, wrapped around his waist. He was, as expected, smoking a cigarette with his eyes glinting with mischief. Finally, Hatake Kakashi entered the room startling the duo of time travelling ninja. Kakashi was wearing his usual ANBU like uniform with his hitai-ate blocking the Sharingan in his right eye.

Kurenai walked forward and called out, "Follow me at Training Ground 27 Team 8!" Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata stood up and followed the woman out of the room.

"Meet me at Training Ground 36 in an hour Team 10!" Asuma said before he left in a shunshin. The members of Team 10 looked at each other before sighing and running out of the room.

Team 7 and Kakashi stared at each other for a few minutes causing Sasuke to fidget under the scrutinizing gaze of the Elite Jonin. Naruto and Sakura stared at the silver haired Jonin with suspicion before Naruto stood up and asked, "I heard that you have a chronic problem with lateness. How come you are here, and on time?"

Kakashi turned his scrutinizing gaze upon Naruto before he sighed, "Normally I am, but I didn't think it wise to irritate you, not with how you have humiliated ANBU before. As a former ANBU captain, I always found it funny that you were able to sneak into ANBU HQ and set up your pranks, no matter how they changed the security patrols. Besides, I think I would be doing Sensei a disservice if I didn't teach his son correctly!"

Naruto nodded in understanding while Sakura had to stifle a giggle at Kakashi's reasons, though she could see where he was coming from. Before, everyone thought that Naruto was an idiot with exceptional luck, now everyone thinks that the pranks were the byproduct of skill. She could see why Kakashi was cautious. Beside her, Sasuke stared at the Jonin with an arched eyebrow. He could not see why he was so afraid of Naruto's pranks.

"Alright, meet me on the roof in ten…" Kakashi said just before another Naruto appeared behind him and slammed a Rasengan into his head causing Kakashi to go up in smoke.

"He was a Kage Bunshin?" Sakura asked in surprise. Naruto nodded as the one beside her puffed away in smoke. Sasuke looked up startled at that but decided against saying anything. Sakura just sighed before she stood up and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, surprising him, before both puffed away in a cloud of smoke, Naruto following behind his teammates.

* * *

"Did he have to ram a Rasengan into my clones head?" Kakashi said to himself when a voice startled him from behind him.

"Not really, but where's the fun in poking a clone with a kunai?" Kakashi jumped up, a kunai appearing in his hand, and turned around only to come face-to-face with a grinning Naruto.

"How long have you been here?" Kakashi asked as he thought of how Naruto was able to sneak up on him before dismissing the though as he realized that when Naruto could easily infiltrate ANBU HQ, then sneaking up on a relaxed Ex-ANBU Captain should be easy.

Naruto shrugged noncommittally before he said, "Long enough to have killed you at least twelve times in seventeen different ways." Kakashi shuddered in realization of what Naruto implied as his other two Genin appeared in a shunshin.

"Ah, it seems that your teammates are here. Why don't you all sit down and introduce yourselves?" Kakashi said, as he kept alert so that Naruto would not catch him off guard again. He really did not want to fall under the crosshair of a bored Naruto.

After the three Genin were seated, Sakura asked the obvious question, "Why don't you go first Sensei? We already know each other; you are the one who is a stranger!"

Kakashi thought for a moment before he shrugged, "Alright, the names Hatake Kakashi. I like many things. Dislikes, I have not many things I dislike, but traitors and those who leave behind their teammates are at the top of that list. My hobbies are not your concern. As for my dream, I don't feel like telling you!" The trio of new Genin blinked at Kakashi's unique introduction before Kakashi pointed at Sakura and said, "You first pinky!"

Sakura glared at the scarecrow looking Jonin before she began her introduction. "I am Haruno Sakura. I like my teammates, training, and helping in the hospital. I dislike perverts, traitors, and those who put the mission above their comrades. My hobbies are reading new medical discoveries and learning or creating new Iryōjutsu. I dream to become the best Iryōnin, even greater than Tsunade-sama!"

Kakashi looked startled at the revelation. He did not think that girl would have such high ambitions, surpassing Tsunade of the Sannin now that was one heck of a dream and not an easy one to achieve as well. With a nod, he turned his attention to Naruto, "Now you Naruto!"

"The name is Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage! I like ramen, training, and protecting those precious to me! I dislike the five minutes it takes to cook instant ramen, perverts, traitors, arrogant asses, people who judge without someone getting to know them, and those who harm my precious ones. My hobbies are training, eating ramen, and studying fuinjutsu. My dream is to break the cycle of hatred in the shinobi world and become the greatest Hokage ever!"

Kakashi nodded before he asked, "Who are precious to you Naruto, your friends, comrades, or the villagers?"

"Friends, comrades, and all those who are too weak to protect themselves, even all the animals in the world!" Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke stared at the blonde jinchūriki with surprise and awe. They never thought that Naruto could be this selfless. Then again, Sakura and Kakashi justified his statement with the belief that it came from his position as a sage.

"That's good of you Naruto, never let the world darken your golden heart, now you duckbutt!" Kakashi said with an eye smile causing Sasuke to glare at the Jonin with his newly awakened Sharingan. Kakashi looked up in surprise but waited for Sasuke to introduce himself.

"Uchiha Sasuke. I have very few things I like. I dislike many things with traitors being at the top of the list. My hobby is training. My dreams are to become the most reliable teammate, revive my clan, and if possible, avenge them by killing Itachi!" Sasuke said but not with the usual venom and anger. Kakashi watched the boy with his single eye only to see that instead of the usual tense posture, the Uchiha survivor was relaxed for once. Even the arrogance that usually permeates the air around the boy was thinner. Then there was the boy's declaration of dreaming to become a reliable teammate.

Kakashi did not know if Sasuke still had the same avenger mentality his profile warned about, but made a mental note to watch the boy as his present presence was different to that of an avenger. Nodding to himself, Kakashi smiled and said, "When did you activate your Sharingan? Your profile didn't say anything about it!"

Sasuke looked up in surprise before he looked at Naruto and said with a hint of gratitude, "Naruto helped me activate it a couple of days back." Kakashi sat up straighter and looked at his team with surprise. He did not think that Naruto would be able to get through to the Uchiha enough make him rethink his ways. He expected Sasuke to be an avenger with a very high flight risk. Now he was not so sure.

"Alright then, you three meet me at Training Ground 7 in an hour for your final test. You will be sparring against an older Genin team in a Team vs. Team matchup. I will meet you there with the team and their sensei. If you fail the test, I will have to disband your team and end you back to the Academy. If any of you fail, only you will be sent back. The actual objective of the exam will be hidden, so you will have to figure out how to pass on your own." Kakashi said and waited for the expected outburst. When the outburst did not come, he stared at his team to see all three staring right back at him with determination. "Anyway, tomorrow Naruto will be tested by a team of four Jonin that includes me at the Chunin Exams Stadium, both of you have to be present, whether you pass or fail, attendance is compulsory!"

"Alright sensei!" Sakura said as Sasuke just nodded with a grunt. Kakashi nodded before he vanished in a shunshin. His team stared at the place previously occupied by the Jonin before they all stood.

"I think the hidden objective will be team work. Do not try to do things on your own. That means you Sasuke!" Naruto said only for Sasuke to give an irritated grunt but nodded all the same. Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder before the two of them vanished in a puff of smoke with Sakura following.

* * *

"COME MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS, SHOW MORE ENTHUSIASM! LOOK AT LEE-KUN!" A green spandex clan Jonin exclaimed to his two other students as his final student, also clad in similar green spandex, ran around the clearing at extreme speeds. The other two just glared at their sensei as they jogged around training ground, heavily panting. Unlike their crazy teammate and sensei, they did not have the stamina to complete such insane training as easily as the other two do.

As the three Genin went about their stamina training, Kakashi appeared beside their sensei in a puff of smoke. Without even turning around, Gai said, "Good morning Kakashi! What are you doing here? Don't you have a youthful team to test?"

Kakashi nodded as he took out an orange book and started skimming through it for a couple of moments before replying, "I do, but instead of giving them the Bell Test, I decided to see if you and your team would be willing to help in testing them. So, will you?"

Gai hummed before he asked, "This is most unusual of you Kakashi. Is it wise to test the teamwork of green Genin with seasoned ones?"

"Normally I wouldn't, but my team contains Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto. From their introductions, I can easily see Sakura and Naruto working together. They may even convince Sasuke to work with them. All of know that Sasuke only respects strength, so the bell test would be moot against them. They are assured to pass."

Gai nodded in understanding before he asked, "So, why not still give them the Bell Test? I do not see why you want to put them up against seasoned Genin. My team may have great teamwork, but Naruto-kun would easily destroy all of them in a moment! Then there is Haruno Sakura, the youngest person to gain full Iryōnin certification, not to mention Battlefield Certification. We do not know what skills she is hiding, especially after training with Naruto-kun. Then there is the last Uchiha, we all know that after Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan, he is probably the strongest Genin of their year. I would not be surprised if he already has the Sharingan. So tell me, what use is this exam?"

Kakashi hummed as he turned a page before he said, "I want to see how well they work against another team. Together, I am sure that they can take down Jonin already. I want to see how they fare against another team."

Gai nodded in understanding before he jumped down from the tree branch he was observing his team from, landing in the middle of the clearing, he shouted out, "ALRIGHT MY YOUTHFUL GENIN, THAT IS ENOUGH FOR NOW! A FELLOW JONIN HAS REQUESTED OUR HELP TO TEST HIS NEW GENIN TEAM! SO PLEASE REST UP. YOU WILL BE PITTED AGAINST THE OTHER TEAM IN A TEAM DEATHMATCH. WE WILL MEET THE NEW TEAM IN… AH… KAKASHI, WHERE AND WHEN ARE WE TO MEET THE TEAM?"

"Huh… Didn't I tell you? Oh well, meet my team and me at Training Ground 7 in an hour. Ja ne!" Kakashi said as he vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Huh… A Kage Bunshin, he did not even have the decency to come to me in person! Curse you and your hip attitude Kakashi!" Gai exclaimed quietly when Neji approached him.

"Why do we have to test a green Genin team? They don't stand a chance, fate has declared it!" Neji asked with a frown causing his female teammate Tenten and Lee to frown in return.

Gai adopted a serious expression as he said, "Don't underestimate anyone Neji. That may be the last thing you will do. I again advise that you curb your arrogance. Now as to why we are helping test this team, as the usual test is ineffective for this team. Two of its members are close friends and have good teamwork. They alone took down a Chunin level Traitor last week, the very night they graduated, in the process saving another Chunin's life. Then each member's individual skills are higher than most seasoned Genin have. If the pass, I can assure you that they will be taking the next Chunin Exams that is scheduled to happen in Konoha. The one I am planning to nominate you for if you show that you have matured more. Got it?"

"Yes Gai-sensei!" Neji said with confusion, he had not ever seen his sensei this serious before.

"Now I must warn you, each member of this team is dangerous in their own right. The first member to be wary of is Uchiha Sasuke. If he has the Sharingan, then it is imperative that you Neji quickly take him down. Next, the girl, Haruno Sakura, is the youngest fully certified Iryōnin. Do not let her get too close. She can easily disable any of you with a single swipe of her hands and the Chakura no Mesu technique. Tenten, you will make sure that she cannot get too close to Lee or Neji. Finally, there is Uzumaki Naruto. Do not let his age fool you. He is the most dangerous in the team. There are rumors flying about that he should be able to defeat Jiraiya-sama no densetsu no Sannin or even Hokage-sama." Gai said as his Genin's eyes widened in shock.

"Don't let him stand around for too long. From what I heard, if he gets enough time to activate Sennin Mōdō or even tap into the Kyūbi's chakra, then all of you are finished. Neji, I want you and Lee to concentrate on him as much as you can while Tenten keeps his teammates off your backs. Lee, I order you to leave behind your weights behind and if required, you have my permission to use that!" Lee's eyes widened in shock but nodded in realization of what kind of opponent Naruto was.

"YOSH! I never though you would give me permission to use that! Naruto-kun must be very youthful if you are asking us to take such precautions. If I fail, then I shall run around Konoha a hundred times, on my hands carrying a massive bolder. If I can't do that, then I shall climb the Hokage Mountain using my teeth… and if I can't do…" Lee was cut off as a massive mace crashed into his head.

"Alright already, we get it! Just rest and save you energy for the match!" Tenten said with an angry frown with Neji glaring at his teammate.

* * *

Team 7 was waiting in Training Ground 7 for their Sensei and the other Genin team he was bringing with him. As they waited, Naruto was reading his book on beginners Fūinjutsu. Beside him, Sakura was leaning against a tree pursuing through an advanced medical scroll detailing the theory behind using suiton chakra affinity in healing. Sasuke was sitting on the ground reading one of his clan scrolls on the Sharingan.

As they waited, Naruto suddenly perked up and said, "So where's the other team Sensei?"

"Maa maa, don't be a spoil sport. Just because you are, the best sensor in Konoha does not mean that you should ruin my fun! Here I was hoping to test the others skills in observation, and you ruin it!" Kakashi whined only for Sakura to snort and say, "No, you were just going to stay there and wait until Sasuke asked where you are before revealing yourself while also scaring the pants off him."

"I see that you didn't include yourself in there. May I ask why?" Kakashi asked his a curious gleam in his lone visible eye getting a giggle from Sakura.

"I sense you the moment you enter the clearing, Naruto sensed you the moment you decided to head here. The only one with weaker sensory abilities now is Sasuke, but that will be quickly remedied with a bit of experience under his belt." Sasuke looked surprised at how clinically she stated that without even looking at him.

"They are here!" Naruto said surprising the rest before they a team rushed into the clearing behind Gai.

"Yo… looks like you made it!" Kakashi said with a grin as he jumped down from the tree and landed beside his team. "Team, this is Team Gai under Elite Jonin Maito Gai. They shall be your opponents during this exam. Gai and I will be observing you. If I am not mistaken, Gai has given them information on you. You will be going in blind, with no knowledge of their abilities. The objective of the test is do as well as you can against the seasoned team. Understand!"

"Hai Sensei!" His team chorused before the put away the scroll and book in Naruto's case before walking forward to greet the team.

"Know this; you are fated to lose to us!" Neji said before anyone could even say something causing his teammates and sensei to frown. Sasuke seethed in anger while Naruto and Sakura stared at the Hyūga boy with cold eyes causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"Fate isn't predetermined! We make our own fate!" Naruto gritted out in anger. He did not remember Neji being this arrogant before. Last time Neji did not know his heritage and status, so he could let Neji's arrogance slide at the time. This time, Neji should have reacted more cautiously to his very presence. Neji glared at Naruto and was about to say something when Kakashi intervened.

"Alright, let me explain the exam. Team 9 your job is to try and defeat Team 7. Use every skill you have as long as it is non-lethal. Team 7, you do the same. There is a hidden portion to the test, let us see if you can discover what it is. You have two hours to complete the test. If Gai or I see that any of you are in danger, we will intervene, now hajime!" Kakashi said as he and Gai vanished form the clearing and reappeared on a tree branch near the edge of the clearing.

Team 7 and Team 9 watched each other carefully for a few minutes before Sasuke finally lost his patience and charged at Neji with his Sharingan blazing. Seeing this, Neji ran forward to intercept the Uchiha only to jump away from Sakura who smashed her fist into the ground where he was previously. A booming sound filled the training ground before a crater five feet wide formed under Sakura's fist. Gai, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Team Gai watched in shock at the power the slender girl displayed.

Team Gai regrouped and cautiously observed Team 7, who had regrouped as well. "I didn't think that the girl would be this dangerous. I know that an accomplished Iryōnin is someone to be wary off, but this monstrous strength. It reminds me of the stories of Tsunade-sama!" Tenten said with an uncertain tone Neji and Lee nodded in understanding.

"Lee, you go after the blonde. Gai-sensei said not to give him time to prepare anything. I will quickly handle the Uchiha while Tenten keeps the girl busy!" Neji said and without even waiting for confirmation, Neji charged at Sasuke knowing that his team would back him up.

Lee did not waste any time and charged at Naruto, who was standing with his eyes closed. Sakura was about to intervene when she jumped away from the kunai Tenten threw with pinpoint accuracy. Seeing that she would be unable to help her teammates until Tenten was defeated, Sakura charged at the bun haired girl with surprising grace and speed, dodging any kunai and shuriken she could while batting away others with the kunai in her hands.

Meanwhile, Neji engaged Sasuke in a one-on-one taijutsu spar, trying to seal off Sasuke's tenketsu, only for the Uchiha to dodge at the last moment and counter attack that Neji barely dodged due to his Byakugan. "I must say, for a greenhorn, you are good, as expected of one from such an exalted clan!"

Sasuke did not show any reaction. Instead, he jumped back and formed a couple of hand seals before bringing his hands to his mouth calling out, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Neji watched as a massive ball of fire flew out of Sasuke's mouth and rushed towards him. Seeing that he would not be able to dodge in time, he sighed before spinning in place causing a dome of blue chakra to form around him. As the fireball collided with the swirling dome of chakra, it dissipated into nothing causing Sasuke to stare in shock.

At the same time, Lee tried to kick Naruto, who had his eyes closed, only for the blonde jinchūriki to dodge without effort. Seeing his initial attack had been thwarted, Lee started a quick combo of heavy kicks and punches with a couple of feints thrown in. To the spandex clad boy's frustration, Naruto seemed to be able to easily dodge or redirect everything he threw at him.

* * *

"I must say, I didn't think that Sakura-chan was this skilled. Most Iryōnin are usually dead weight, only useful in healing teammates and distractions." Kakashi hummed in response as he watched Neji surround himself in a dome of swirling chakra to protect himself from the fireball Sasuke threw at him.

"So are you students, it is nearly unheard of, of a branch member of the Hyūga clan to use learn Hakkeshō Katien. Then the Kunoichi is a great markswoman. Such accuracy is hard to come by outside Elite ANBU units. Then there is your apprentice. Lee, was it? He is far ahead in taijutsu in comparison to his peers. You have trained them well Gai!" Gai nodded appreciatively as he carefully observed Naruto dodging everything Lee threw at him with his eyes closed. It was a bit disconcerting for the Taijutsu Master to see someone that good.

"Well, Naruto-kun is living up to expectations and surpassing them. I can see why he is the face of Konoha for this generation. Sasuke-kun isn't that bad either." Gai observed as he watched Sasuke use a quick Kawarimi to dodge a strike to his heart before retaliating with a Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! Multiple small ball of fire fired out erratically from Sasuke's mouth and flew towards Neji who just smashed forward a palm calling out, "Hakke Kūshō!"

* * *

Neji smirked as the wave of vacuum left his palm and easily snuffed out the flames only to be shocked when he saw that shuriken were hidden in the fireballs. Barely dodging the shuriken, he was unable to react when Sasuke bound him in ninja wire. Grinning, Sasuke placed the wires in his mouth as he formed hand seals for his next jutsu.

Neji watched with frustration as Sasuke called out, "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" A wave of fire ran down the wire and collided the Hyūga prodigy before exploding. Sasuke grinned for a moment before he saw that only charred remains of a log instead of Neji. Before he could react, Neji appeared in front of him with a foul expression on his face.

"We Hyūga don't like using jutsu that aren't clan ones. You have force me to use one to save myself, so you must pay for sullying my clan honor! You are in my field of divination, Hakke Sanjūni Shō!" Sasuke watched helplessly as Neji proceeded to ram his chakra coated fingers on his tenketsu without remorse.

"Ni shō!" Neji called out striking two times. "Yon shō… Hachi shō… Jūroku shō… Sanjūni shō!"

As Neji landed the final set of strikes, Sasuke was thrown back catching Naruto and Sakura's attention. Neji was heavily panting from the exertion and the amount of chakra he had already used up.

"You alright Neji!" Tenten asked only for the Hyūga prodigy to ignore his teammates concern. Turning his attention to the downed Uchiha, he said arrogantly, "Give you! As I said, fate had already declared my team the winner. I have sealed your tenketsu. Now you are as powerless as a civilian is! Without you, your team will lose. All of you should just give up now!"

Neji expected the other two give up right there, but he gaped when Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke started laughing. Lee and Tenten appeared beside the tired Neji with confused looks in their faces. Neji started getting angry when Sasuke spoke up, "You think temporarily disabling me has put my team in a disadvantageous position! You are more blind than I thought! You call yourself a member of the clan with the All-Seeing eyes, but I say that your clan is blind. If he wanted, Naruto could have finished the fight in the first few moments."

"The dead last, don't kid yourself. The only reason he is so highly thought of is for who his father is! Konoha is known for favoritism. The main branch is always shown favoritism!" Neji spat in anger, everyone to frown at Neji's anger but decided to let Sasuke handle it.

Sasuke sighed before he said, "Until recently I was obsessed with power for revenge. I can see you walking down the same path I recently left. If you let that anger fester, I will not be surprised if you end up a Nukenin! As for Naruto being respected for his father's accomplishments, I cannot refute that claim among the civilian populace, but amongst the shinobi, I can guarantee that most respect him for his prowess. Let me tell you, when Naruto first started training me, I used all of my power and then some to try to defeat him. I failed. He was faster, stronger, and most of all brutal. He did not let up even when I was on my last legs, forcing me to activate my Sharingan to save myself. Even then, if he did not stop at the right moment, I can guarantee that I would be in the hospital still recovering. The sad thing was that I know he did not even use a quarter of his true power. Now do you still think you would win if he was serious?"

Tenten, Lee, Gai, and Kakashi gaped in shock at the revelation while Neji just sneered, "Your words won't affect me, for all I know this must be a plan your team came up with to psych us!"

Sasuke just shrugged and shakily stood up. Neji was about to attack Sasuke again when Naruto appeared in front the Uchiha along with Sakura, a frown marring his face. "Sasuke is right; you are blind if you can't tell the difference in chakra levels between my team and your's. Sasuke has just as much chakra as you. Sakura has enough to put most Jonin to shame. Me, even without Kurama, I have more chakra than Jiraiya and the Sandaime combined. I do not know how good your Byakugan is, but I believe that it can see the flow of chakra within us. The smoothness of the flow is directly dependent upon our control. Sakura has the smoothest flow in the whole of Konoha. I can even dare to say that she has perfect control!"

"How do you know that?" Neji sneered as he concentrated in observing what Naruto said. To his surprise, he found the word of the blonde jinchūriki was true, though he would not admit that.

"My senjutsu allows me unparalleled sensory abilities to the point I can even sense the chakra affinities, health, and emotions of someone. If you do not believe me, you can ask Hiashi-dono!" Naruto said with a smirk before he nodded to Sakura who grinned in response.

Naruto was engulfed into a cloak of yellow chakra with black lines flowing throughout the cloak. Neji, Lee, Tenten, Gai, and Kakashi watched in awe at the power radiating from Naruto. Naruto placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder causing a tail less cloak of bubbling red chakra to engulf the girl. Both grinned as Naruto said, "Have fun Sakura, make sure to not accidentally kill them!"

Before Team 9 could react, Sakura charged forward at greater speeds than before, catching them by surprise. At the same time, Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, causing a pulse of chakra to flow through the Uchiha's body, forcefully reopening the closed tenketsu before a bubbling cloak of red chakra formed around him.

* * *

"Please don't tell me he did what I think he did?" Kakashi whined causing Gai to smirk.

"If you mean sharing the Kyūbi's chakra with his team, then he did! I wonder what that will change." Gai said as he watched the wounds on Sasuke's body give off steam before sealing up without leaving behind a single scar. Kakashi and Gai watched in shock at that revelation. Everyone speculated that the Kyūbi used to increase Naruto's healing ability, now they had proof.

"My god, look how powerful Sakura-chan has become now!" Kakashi said as he watched with a wide-open eye at the massacre Sakura was performing. All around the field, there were craters as large as twelve feet wide. Tenten and Neji were panting while Lee had sweat dripping down his face.

"Lee, use it! If you don't, you will lose!" Gai said with a serious expression causing Kakashi to look at him in shock.

"You didn't teach him ten Hachimon Tonkō no Jin, did you?" Kakashi asked only for Gai to nod. "How many can he open?"

"Three, but they should be enough to change the tides a bit!" Gai exclaimed as he watched Lee scream out before a massive wave of invisible chakra caught everyone's attention. Lee's hair had risen into the air, flowing in an unseen breeze.

* * *

"Lee, are you alright?" Tenten asked as Neji watched with curiosity as their teammate screamed in what seemed pain before a massive wave of invisible chakra erupted from him.

"Kaimon Kai!" Lee intoned before he vanished from beside his teammates and reappeared behind Sakura, catching her off guard. She did not expect Lee to be able to open the inner gates this soon. Before she could dodge, Lee called out, "Konoha Kage Buyō," and kicked her into the air. Jumping after her, Lee flipped himself as he unwrapped the medical bindings around his arms and quickly wrapped them Saukra before started rapidly spinning with the girl in his grasp.

"Omote Renge!" Lee called out just before he and Sakura was about to hit the ground as he let go and jumped back. Sakura crashed into the ground, head first. Massive booming sound filled the clearing as a large cloud of smoke covered the area Sakura crash-landed.

"Lee you weren't supposed to gravely injure the girl! I wanted you to attack Naruto-kun! A normal human will be gravely injured from this!" Gai scolded as Lee looked down when a clapping sound emerged from the cloud of dust. Everyone intently started into the cloud of dust, waiting to see who was making the sound, though Gai suspected that Sakura was not as injured, as he feared.

"That was very good Lee. If the chakra cloak did not protect me, I would have suffered grave injuries. You truly are a great Taijutsu specialist." Everyone, other than Naruto watched with shock as a small shockwave of chakra blew away the dust cloud revealing Sakura, completely unharmed, the bubbling cloak of chakra floating about around her.

Lee gaped at the sight. He could not believe that someone could come out of the Omote Renge unharmed, "How?"

"How what? How did the flimsy looking cloak protect me?" Lee nodded causing Naruto to chuckle.

"The potency of the chakra is so high that it can act as a solid barrier against a finite amount of force. Your technique does not have the strength to pierce it." Naruto said causing Lee to nod in realization.

"Yosh that is truly a youthful defense that you share with your teammates Naruto-kun, now I will show you the power to pierce that cloak," Lee said as he screamed out again. A green aura formed around him as two strands of smoky blue swirled around him. His skin turned red as his hair flew up. "Kyuumon Kai! Seimon Kai!"

"Sasuke, get up on that tree and rest. Let me and Sakura finish it!" Naruto exclaimed before he vanished from his place and reappeared in front of Lee, intercepting the taijutsu specialists kick with one of his own. A shockwave erupted from the contact causing strong winds to blow about the field. Soon, the field was filled with shockwaves as Naruto kept intercepting all of Lee's strikes with his own.

* * *

Sasuke appeared beside Gai and Kakashi, as the two Sensei observed the battle going on below. Kakashi did not divert his eye from the battle below, but asked, "What are you doing here Sasuke?"

"Naruto asked me to climb a tree and rest. That is what I am doing. I have already used a lot of chakra. This chakra cloak has not replenished my stores." Kakashi nodded as he patted his student on the shoulder. "Besides, if I go down there now, I would only hinder them."

* * *

Tenten and Neji were trying to take down Sakura, but whatever they tried, Sakura easily countered; Kunai and Shuriken, the cloak intercepted them. Jūken strikes, none of the chakra needles were able to pierce the cloak. On the other hand, Sakura was easily able to strike at them, though she did not use the monstrous strength directly against them, for which they were grateful.

"Lee and Naruto are ripping up the field!" Neji said as he tried to observe the fight, only to catch only glimpses of the fight. Both fighters were moving at a speed he was not fully able to perceive. At that very moment, he realized that even Lee was stronger than he was. That realization shook him to the core. The dobe who could not use chakra was stronger than he was. That was a bitter pill to swallow.

Sakura saw that Neji was distracted and capitalized on it. Ramming her leg into the ground, she lifted out a large chunk of earth into the air. Neji and Tenten watched in shock as Sakura then proceeded to kick the chunk of earth towards them, the kick shattering the chunk into smaller, sharper shards that peppered them.

Before they could react, Lee crashed into them with Naruto appearing beside his teammate and nodded at her. The pink haired medic grinned before black sealing lines formed around her face and down her neck. Jumping up, a massive amount of chakra gathered in her fist.

Naruto did not waste any time and rushed out of there, reappearing beside Sasuke and watched as Team 9 groaned as they tried to stand up. Neji was the first one up. Using his Byakugan, he saw Sakura in the air with a massive amount of chakra gathered in her fist. His eyes widened in horror as Sakura landed and crashed her fist into the ground. A massive booming sound and a shockwave erupted from point of impact before the whole field broke up. Chunk of earth and rock flew into the air, taking Team 9 with them. Crash landing on the now broken ground, Team 9 groaned out in pain.

Lee tried to stand up before he collapsed, spasms running down his body as his skin returned to their original tone. Beside him, Tenten did not even try to stand up, grumbling about a monster Genin who was as strong as a Sannin. Neji just stared into the sky with a disheartened look. He could not believe that he and his team lost.

"Alright everyone, exam finished. First, let Gai and I congratulate you on officially becoming Genin Team, even if you three have shown qualities and powers reminiscent of a Chunin at least and Jonin in case of Naruto. Now we will give you six a performance report."

Gai walked forward and said, "Neji, you let your arrogance blind you to the truth, again. You need to get that under control. Tenten, you start panicking whenever your opponent dodges your weapons or comes in too close for ranged combat. You need to practice your hand-to-hand combat skills more. Lee, you have out done yourself. Now you just need to train harder and get used to the strain of the initial three gates. Just keep up the good work."

"YOSH THANK YOU GAI-SENSEI!"Lee exclaimed in excitement with Tenten nodding. Neji just kept staring at the sky.

"Now Team 7, Sasuke, you need to work on your stamina and increase your jutsu arsenal. Other than that, I saw that you did not use the Sharingan's intrinsic genjutsu abilities. I will help you in training that. In addition, you need to increase your speed and reaction time. Sakura, you have thrown all my expectations out of the window, then set them alight with an S-Rank Fire Jutsu. I must ask, what is that seal you used?"

Sakura stumbled at that, but before she could say anything, Naruto interjected, "That is a simple Uzumaki Clan Fūinjutsu that allows the storage of large amounts chakra to be stored and used later. I gave it to her a couple of day back and helped her charge it up with a tail worth of my and Kurama's chakra." Kakashi just gaped at the revelation, while Tenten had stars in her eyes.

"Why do you do this to me Naruto?" Kakashi whined while Naruto grinned. "I don't know what you mean sensei! Anyway, Tenten, I saw that you use quite a bit of fūinjutsu. How about you help me understand the books my mother and father wrote and I will allow you access to the Uzumaki Clan Fūinjutsu style."

"It would be my honor! Thank you for offering to share your clan techniques with me Naruto-sama!" Tenten said with formal bow.

"Then meet me at Ichiraku Ramen a week from now during lunch. I need to catalog all the Fūinjutsu scrolls I have in the library before we start." Tenten nodded again in gratitude.

"Anyways, Naruto… What am I going to do with you? I cannot even get a proper read on you yet. So I will wait till your evaluation tomorrow before I decide on what to teach you!" Kakashi exclaimed with annoyance.

"Yosh, before Kakashi has a mental breakdown, Team 9 you will meet me at the Chunin Exams Stadium at ten in the morning tomorrow without fail." His team nodded before Neji finally broke through his depressing thoughts and asked, "But why Gai-sensei?"

"Naruto-kun is to be evaluated by a team of Jonin and ANBU. Hokage-sama has ordered all free Shinobi to attend. I heard that even a few of the Daimyo's of the neighboring countries would attend along with our own Daimyo.

Team 9 looked at the blonde jinchūriki in shock. They could not believe that a team of Jonin and ANBU will evaluate a fresh Genin. "Yosh, I can't wait for the youthful show Naruto-kun will put on for us! Naruto-kun know this, I will be rooting for you!"

"Ah… Thank you Lee!"

"Now my youthful genin, head to the hospital and have medical checkups. I do not want any of you suffering from undetectable internal injuries." Gai's team nodded and made to leave the field when Naruto commented, "See Neji, there is no such thing as fate. We make our own fates! Just look at Lee and Sakura, two civilians, yet they are both very strong!"

Neji huffed before he led his team away from Training Ground 7 and Team 7. Team 7, Kakashi, and Gai watched them leave with Naruto and Gai frowning at Neji's behavior. "You need to pull that stick out of his ass Gai-sensei, or he will end up in a very sticky situation."

Gai nodded with a sigh, "I have been trying for a year now Naruto-kun, but I think that now I have a better chance now. You and your team along with Lee-kun have shaken him. I just hope that he listens to us instead of turning deaf."

"Don't worry Gai-sensei, if he gets out of line, just call me. I will pull that stick out of his ass!" Naruto said with a fox like grin causing a smile to form on Gai's face.

"Thank you for the offer Naruto-kun."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask and said, "You three have the day off now. As you know, meet me at the Chunin Exams Stadium at ten tomorrow. Before you leave, I have one last thing to say; those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. Remember that; engrave it in your hearts. It shall guide you down the right path. Now you can leave."

Team 7 nodded before Sakura made the Tiger hand seal and absorbed the chakra cloak into the diamond seal on her forehead. Kakashi and Gai looked surprised but ignored it as Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder causing the chakra cloak to dissipate before both the boys vanished in a swirl of leaves with Sakura following behind.

"They are some Genin Kakashi. I have no doubt that they will become legends just like the Sannin!" Kakashi nodded in pleasure before he looked around the field. After a moment of silence, Kakashi turned to Gai.

"Ah… Gai, I will leave you to explain the situation with the field to Hokage-sama!" Before Gai could even react, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves leaving behind a gaping Gai.

"THAT IS SO UNYOUTHFUL OF YOU KAKASHI! WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THE SITUATION TO HOKAGE-SAMA WHEN IT WAS YOUR TEAM THAT DID THE DESTRUCTION?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Jiraiya-sama no densetsu no Sannin = Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu = Sealing Arts_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Chakura no Mesu = Chakra Scalple_**

 ** _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique_**

 ** _Hakkeshō Katien = Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation_**

 ** _Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu = Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique_**

 ** _Hakke Kūshō = Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm_**

 ** _Kawarimi = Substitution_**

 ** _Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu = Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique_**

 ** _Hakke Sanjūni Shō = Eight Trigrams Thirty Two Palms_**

 ** _Hachimon Tonkō no Jin = Eight Inner Gates Formation_**

 ** _Kaimon Kai = Gate of Opening Open_**

 ** _Konoha Kage Buyō = Leaf Shadow Dance_**

 ** _Omote Renge = Front Lotus_**

 ** _Kyūmon Kai = Gate of Healing Open_**

 ** _Seimon Kai = Gate of Life Open_**

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 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	6. Chapter 5 - The Test

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them!:)**

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – The Test**

All the Ninja, who did not have any major prior assignments, were trickling into the Konoha Chunin Exams Stadium, many prominent Daimyō of the neighboring countries were here as well, sitting with their most trusted advisers and bodyguards, the Fire Daimyō being most prominent with his elaborate headdress with the red fire patterns and pristine white robes. The Wind Daimyō sitting near the Fire Daimyō with in his violet robes and headdress, around the Stadium, many ninja from small foreign countries that was either allied or neutral with Konoha were sitting with Teams of ANBU keeping an eye on them. Around them, the seats were filled with civilians.

The Hokage was sitting at the Kage Box with two other people. He was wearing the traditional Kage Robe with the diamond shaped hat. Beside him was another man wearing similar robes with the kanji for wind on his green diamond shaped hat, his face hidden by veil. The final occupant was a large man with dark skin and pale blonde hair. He was also wearing the traditional Kage Robes with a yellow hat carrying the kanji for lightning. These three were Sandaime Hokage, Yondaime Kazekage, and the Yondaime Raikage, their names, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kazekage Rasa, and Ē, three of the most powerful men in the world.

"May I ask why you invited here Hokage-dono?" Ē asked with confusion as Rasa nodded in agreement.

"Yes, why have you invited up to attend a testing of one of you Shinobi? If I am not mistaken, a Genin as well. Why would a Genin require a team of Jonin and ANBU to test him?' Rasa asked with thinly veiled irritation.

"That is because he isn't an ordinary Genin. He embodies what it truly means to be a Shinobi. Even I did not have an inkling to the depth of his abilities until he defeated a Chunin traitor with his friend. From what I have gathered by interviewing them, both of them have been hiding their skill. I thought you two would be interested in him due to his heritage and status. So I decided to invite you." Hiruzen said though he knew that both his fellow Kage did not really believe him, not that he would believe himself. The excuse was a bit weak.

"What heritage would that be Hokage-dono?" Ē asked with curiosity.

"I believe that you would easily be able to connect the dots when he arrives in Arena. He does look like a carbon copy of his father with his mother's mannerism." Hiruzen said with a secretive smile that aroused Ē's curiosity even more.

"And his status, does it pertain to his heritage?" Rasa asked, equally intrigued. Hiruzen shook his head.

"Not really, though it is an indirect result to his heritage." Seeing the questioning looks of his fellow Kage, Hiruzen decided to throw them a bone. "He is the Kyūbi Jinchūriki. Somehow, he was able to become a perfect Jinchūriki and befriend the beast within him."

With wide eyes Ē asked, "How is that possible? How old is he?"

"The better question is how did he do it without rampaging or alerting the whole of Konoha?" Rasa asked looking shaken by the revelation. Here, his son has failed even with help and someone else did what he wanted his son to achieve without help. That seemed preposterous, but he doubted that the Hokage was pulling his leg.

"He and his friend used to sneak in and out of Konoha without the ANBU catching them. I am not surprised. Naruto-kun is known to be able sneak into ANBU HQ, prank the whole corps, and get out unharmed. His stealth is phenomenal. That should have been the first signs but he acted like an idiot. That mask has kept unwanted attention away from him until he was ready to reveal himself."

"He seems to be a fine shinobi. A true demon of the shadows, something all of us have forgotten how to be." Rasa said with a stoic face, inwardly he was cringing. He was afraid that the Wind Daimyō would now redirect more missions to Konoha and the Otokage's offer seemed like a suicide now. That is if the child was as powerful as he suspected. Rasa realized that this was a power play. Hiruzen was making a statement and was using them and the Daimyō to attest his claims.

A loud cheer from the Konoha ninja filling the stadium drew the three Kage's attention. Staring down into the arena, they saw the Genjutsu Mistress, Yūhi Kurenai appear along with Sharingan no Kakashi, Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma and two ANBU with a cat masks, one a woman and the other a man. Finally, Konoha's Snake Mistress, Mitarashi Anko appeared eating a stick of dango.

Seeing that the testers had already arrived and knowing that Naruto would be making a grand entrance, Hiruzen stood up. Activating a small seal, Hiruzen started to speak, "Thank you all for coming to this evaluation of Uzumaki Naruto's abilities. Now many of you would be wondering why I am making such a big event out of such a common test. To answer that, I must reveal something that I have kept secret for twelve years. I know that the travelling merchants are spreading around many rumors for the last week. Those of you who were not here when I made the announcement, I will now confirm or disapprove of those rumors."

Hiruzen stopped and looked around to see that he had everyone's complete attention. Nodding to himself, the aged Hokage took a deep breath and started speaking again, "Everyone knows that the Kyūbi no Yōkō attacked Konoha on the 10th of October, twelve years ago. Officially, my successor, Namikaze Minato, had sacrificed his life to kill the great beast. That was a cover-up. No mortal can kill a Bijū permanently. They will reform a certain number of years later. The only way to defeat a Bijū completely is to seal it into a person. Depending on the seal used, it may require a newborn baby or even adults. I see that realization is dawning on you all. That is right; Minato sealed the beast into a child, his own newborn son in fact."

Hiruzen stopped talking and smirked at seeing the shocked expression on Ē's face. Seeing the questioning look the dark skinned man was giving him, Hiruzen nodded before he addressed the crowd again, "Uzumaki Naruto is that child. The Sandaime Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi after his own mother, the Nidaime Jinchūriki Uzumaki Kushina and the Shodaime Jinchūriki, Senjū Mito, the wife of the Shodai Hokage and Naruto's great aunt. Now I would like to tell you that we are not testing him for his heritage or status as a Jinchūriki! No, we are testing him for his own prowess he achieved without help or even alerting any one. On his own, he has become a perfect Jinchūriki with a great bond with the beast sealed within him to the point they can work together without conflict. I know what all of you are thinking, how can a dumb beast hell bent on causing destruction, and mayhem can work with its jailor? The truth is that the Bijū are sentient beings capable of feeling emotions and making rational decisions, or so Naruto-kun tells me."

Hiruzen waited quietly for that information to seep in before continuing, "However, that is not his greatest achievement yet. It is he becoming a Master Sage, that makes me test him. Normally, to become a Sage, one needs the guidance of a Master Sage from one of the Animal Summoning Clans. Naruto-kun recreated the Toad-Style Senjutsu by watching a small toad summon fighting against a snake summon somewhere in Training Ground 44. As of now, the Great Toad Sage of Myōbokuzan has taken him on as an apprentice. An honor that has not been bestowed on any human since Gamamaru-sama trained the Rikudō Sennin, as he had admitted. Normally the Great Sage remains in a trance watching the world but not interfering. My own Summons respects the Great Toad Sage, advising me to listen to any advice he gives. Now I have bored all of you long enough. Please welcome Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Yondaime Hokage and the Akai Chishio no Habanero!"

Everyone was stunned when he abruptly announced that. Looking around they did not see anyone. Only a small column of swirling dust to form in the center of the Arena before it grew into a large and powerful tornado. Everyone watched in awe as the tornado remained in place, blowing dust and winds before imploding upon itself before dissipating revealing Naruto kneeling on the ground with a fist supporting him. As he slowly stood up, everyone saw that he was wearing the ANBU style uniform that Jiraiya gave him with the burnt orange flak jacket having the zip undone revealing the mesh undershirt. His red haori with the yellow lightning embroidery was fluttering about in an unseen wind. His Konoha Hitai-ate was wrapped around his waist while the new Hitai-ate with the kanji for Bijū and Sennin engravings was proudly tied around his forehead. Everyone saw that he had attached multiple equipment pouches on his legs and a sealing kit on his hip. His messy blonde hair was also fluttering about in the unseen wind.

Everyone stared in shock at the boy's sudden appearance. No one had ever seen a jutsu like the one Naruto used when he arrived. Rasa was the first to snap out of his shock, "What was that jutsu? I didn't even know that fūton could be used in such a way!"

Hiruzen chuckled, but before he could answer Ē asked, "He used Ninshu, didn't he?"

Hiruzen looked at the Raikage in shock, "How did you learn of Ninshu? I only heard of it when Gamamaru-sama told us while testing Naruto-kun a couple of days back."

"Isn't it obvious? Kumo has great interest in my former student. They must have come across some of the scrolls he left behind. While Hagoromo would not have written down anything on how to perform Ninshu, he would be certain to refer to it. Though I must say, this boy keeps surprising me. It has been less than a week and already he has nearly mastered wind based Ninshu or as Hamura jokingly called it, Air Bending. I wonder if he has recreated the katas Hagoromo created to use 'Air Bending' to its full potential?" The three Kage turned to the source only to see a very old brown toad, the size of a human, wearing a green haori and holding a large wooden staff sitting at the top of the box. The guards accompanying the Raikage and Kazekage stiffened but relaxed when Hiruzen bowed to the old toad.

"Greetings Gamamaru-sama, are you here to evaluate him again?" Hiruzen asked causing the eyes of the other two Kage to widen in shock. Both of them could feel the suppressed power flowing through the old toad. C, one of the Raikage's bodyguard tried to sense the depth of the toad's chakra only to shiver when he realized that even Kirabi in Bijū Mōdō did not release that much power.

"Not really Sarutobi-kun. I just came to see how much he has progressed since a week ago. He has potential to surpass Hagoromo-kun. I want to see all of his skills to be able to bring it out. Now, why don't you start the match?"

Hiruzen nodded before he addressed the crowd, "The test will be broken into two parts. The first part will be the specialists in each of the four common shinobi fields, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Būkijutsu, and Ninjutsu, testing Naruto-kun separately. Second part will be an all-out spar, Naruto-kun vs. the Team of Hatake Kakashi, Yūhi Kurenai, Might Gai, Sarutobi Asuma, Mitarashi Anko, and the two ANBU, Cat and Tora."

"Isn't this a bit too much for a fresh Genin?" Ē asked with concern with Rasa nodding in agreement. Neither Kage could believe that a recently graduated Genin would need such an illustrious team to test. All five of the Jōnin were legendary in their own right, adding two ANBU into the mix was overkill.

Hiruzen just chuckled, "Not really. I am more worried for my Jōnin and ANBU. I hope they do not underestimate him. I really don't want them being hospitalized." The two Kage just stared at the older Kage with uncertainty. "Now start the evaluation!"

* * *

"So, who is it going to be?" Naruto said with a cocky grin causing Kurenai to frown.

The red-eyed black haired woman walked forward weaving hand seals, "I will be first! Now break the following Genjutsu I will put on you, Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!"

The group of Jōnin and ANBU waited for a few moments for a reaction from Naruto before Kakashi's lone eye widened in realization. "Low ranking Genjutsu don't work on you, do they?"

Naruto chuckled before replying with a nod. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, "You are just like Kushina-sama. You were waiting for one of us to realize that."

"That's right. Thanks to Kurama and my Sennin Mōdō, any Genjutsu below B-Rank just flows over me without affecting me. Care to try again Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai's frown deepened before casting a higher ranked Genjutsu.

"KAI!" Naruto said as he pulsed his chakra without even making a hand seal. "Good try, but try again. Three layer Genjutsu was good but with my senjutsu, it is useless. You can't fool my senses that easily."

"What do you mean; you aren't in Sennin Mōdō, are you?" Kurenai asked with confusion getting a chuckle from the blonde Jinchūriki.

"Not at the moment, but I can enter and leave Sennin Mōdō two times in a second."

* * *

"He is going to surpass every expectations I have for him. I did not think he would have progressed this far in just a week. Even Hagoromo-kun didn't reach this stage at the pace Naruto-kun did." Gamamaru said just as an old silver monkey appeared beside the old toad. The monkey was wearing a faded yellow haori with a gnarled staff in his hands.

"He is truly deserving of your attention Gamamaru-sensei. I didn't expect him to be this prodigious." Gamamaru nodded in agreement.

"True Ōzaru Sennin-dono, I didn't expect to meet another prodigy like him in my life time. Prodigies like him come once in multiple millennia." The Kage's all widened their eyes in shock. One could easily explain the presence of Gamamaru, the presence of the Ōzaru Sennin was not.

* * *

"Alright, I can tell that any Genjutsu under an S-Ranked one is useless against you and since most S-Ranked Genjutsu are also Dōjutsu based, I will have to pass you for Genjutsu detection and release. Now I heard rumors that you have an A-Ranked Genjutsu under your belt, like to show me?" Kurenai asked with interest. It is not every day a Genin can boast of mastering such high-level techniques, specifically genjutsu.

"Not at this moment, but I can assure you that you will face it during the spar." Naruto said causing Kurenai to nod in approval.

"Alright then I will say that your Genjutsu skills will fall under low A-Rank. You can take him now Gai!" Kurenai said as she walked away. Gai nodded and rushed towards Naruto with a massive grin on his face.

"Let's hold back for the moment, shall we Naruto-kun? We do not need to overextend ourselves before the spar." Naruto nodded, "Alright Gai-sensei!"

Gai nodded before he pulled out a pouch and started pouring chalk dust to form a circle, twenty foot in diameter. After finishing the preparations Gai nodded to himself and addressed Naruto, "In this evaluation, we will only use taijutsu. Since your style is heavily dependent on senjutsu, you may use it. It is up to you. You will need to stay in the circle for ten minutes or push me out."

"I won't be using senjutsu. Granted my taijutsu style requires senjutsu to use it to its full potential, but you aren't going to use the Hachimon Tonkō, so it would be unfair to you." Gai nodded in appreciation.

"Then the time limit is five minutes. Kakashi, will you be the moderator?" Kakashi nodded as he walked to the edge of the circle.

"On the count of three, start. THREE…" Naruto and Gai got into their starting stances.

"TWO…" Both stared at each other with indescribable expressions.

"ONE…" Both of their muscles tensed in preparation.

"HAJIME!"

As Kakashi began the match, both Ninja rushed towards each other at great speeds before their fists collided beginning a sequence of kicks, punches, and leg sweeps at each other, blocking some, dodging others, and parrying the rest.

For the next three minutes both used the basics of their styles to try and get an upper hand on their opponent, throwing in a couple of more advanced techniques into the mix, hoping to take their opponent by surprise.

* * *

"This is unreal! How can a Genin hold his own against a Jōnin of Gai's stature? Gai is borderline S-Rank himself." A Jōnin whispered in shock when a chuckling caught her attention. She looked about trying to find the source only to come up blank. Shaking her head, the woman returned her attention back to the match to see Naruto jumping up into the air like a frog before bringing his extended leg down on Gai's head.

In retaliation, Gai jumped back before rushing in with a roundhouse kick, calling out, "Konoha Gōriki Senpū!"

* * *

"Oh kami, Gai-sensei isn't holding back as I thought he would!" Tenten said with anxiety, her teammates, Lee and Neji both nodded in agreement, though Neji's face held a pained expression.

"What do you mean?" Tenten turned to see a blonde haired girl with light blue eyes was the source of the question.

"I thought that Gai-sensei would only keep to the basics and not include any of the more advanced technique related to the Gōken Taijutsu Style. Who are you anyway?"

"Oh sorry, I am Yamanaka Ino, nice to meet you Sempai. Anyway, Naruto is my classmate. Until now, we all believed that he was a dobe, a fool. Now we aren't too sure."

Tenten nodded, "The Academy Ranks are useless in the real world. I was the Top Kunoichi of last year, Neji was the Rookie of the Year, and Lee was the dobe. I used to believe that if Lee, as he is now, went against someone from your class; he would come out on top. That was before I learned that Lee had a trump card that could easily allow him to take down most Chunin. In fact, I am sure that he could easily defeat Neji now, even though Neji is considered a prodigy."

"I see what you mean. Even though he was the dobe in class, real life experience and training has made him far better than anyone expected." Ino said getting a nod from Tenten.

"That was before we faced Team 7 yesterday. Their Sensei asked our team to help administer the Genin Test on them. Gai-sensei accepted. At first, we believed that we would win and that too quite easily. That was far from the truth. Uchiha Sasuke-san was easily able to keep up with Neji until Neji pulled out one of his trump cards, taking Sasuke by surprise. At the same time, Haruno Sakura-san was a monster, shattering the ground with a single punch, pulverizing rocks into dust with a kick. What Genin can face off against such power? Her power was astounding. Her strength was reminiscent of Tsunade-sama's. Then there was Uzumaki Naruto-sama. He did the least, the leader of their team. Simple planning, overwhelming power, and unpredictable behavior, he easily set us up for Sakura-san to finish the match with her monstrous strength."

"Yosh, you forgot that Naruto-kun had shared the Kyūbi's chakra with his teammates, which empowered, healed, and protected them. The Kyūbi's chakra was so potent that even some of my strongest techniques did not faze Naruto-kun or Sakura-chan." Lee said with a grin causing Team 8 and Team 10 to look at Naruto in shock.

"I didn't know that Bijū Chakra could be shared? Didn't we learn that Bijū chakra was corrosive?" Shikamaru asked with a shiver running down his spine.

"What do you mean? Chakra can't be shared?" Everyone glared at the shaggy haired boy who said that.

"Ano Kiba, you do know that Iryōnin tend to transfer their chakra to some patients who have suffered from chakra exhaustion, right?" Choji asked before he said, "Tsunade-sama created that technique, though most Iryōnin don't have the capability to do that. I know that the present Head Doctor and a couple of his staff can. They buy the special food pills my Clan makes just for that."

"How did the dobe learn that?" Kiba asked causing everyone around him to shake their heads in exasperation, even the normally kind Hinata. "I mean he isn't an Iryōnin!"

"Sakura probably taught him, or at least told him the theory. She is the youngest fully certified Iryōnin with specialization in surgery and battlefield qualification." Ino said offhandedly causing everyone to look at the pink haired girl in awe.

"That's beside the point! How did the troublesome blonde transfer Bijū chakra?" Shikamaru asked with irritation.

"Naruto actively purifies the corrosive Bijū chakra by mixing it with his own before transferring it. Chakra carries the feel of one's soul. Naruto's goodness purifies the dark taint of the Kyūbi. Now the five minutes are nearly up. You had all better turn your attention back to the battlefield.

* * *

As the five-minute mark was passed, Kakashi walked forward and called out, "Five minutes are up. This is a tie!"

Gai and Naruto disengaged and bowed to each other before straightening up. "You have proved yourself in the intense art of taijutsu. My evaluation of your hampered skills gives me the impression of you being a mid A-Ranked skill. With your senjutsu, I would dare to say that you are easily S-Ranked."

"Thank you for your compliment Gai-sensei." Naruto said with a bow before he asked, "If you don't mind, may I and my team train with you from time to time, particularly weight training? I saw the chakra weights you are wearing and felt the chakra within them."

"Yosh, what youthful proposition, if your sensei doesn't have any problem with it, I will be happy to oblige!" Gai said with a smile.

"As long as that if after I have released the team, what they do is up to them, if they want to better themselves, who am I to stop them!" Kakashi said as Asuma walked forward and whispered into the silver haired Jōnin's ear. After a few moments of quiet debating, both nodded before Kakashi turned to the Kage Box. "Hokage-sama, Asuma and I have concluded that to test Naruto in Ninjutsu and Būkijutsu, it is better to do it in the spar, so may we proceed?"

* * *

"Are you going to allow it Hokage-dono?" Rasa asked with curiosity as Hiruzen hummed to himself.

"I think it wise to allow the individual evaluation to end. Būkijutsu and Ninjutsu cannot be tested like that." Ē said causing Hiruzen to nod.

"You are right Ē-dono. Proceed with the spar. Jiraiya will be your proctor." Hiruzen surprising everyone present.

* * *

"Jiraiya-sama, when did he return?" Kurenai asked getting shrugs from her fellow Jōnin and the ANBU.

"Alright everyone Naruto take the south side, Team take the north side!" Jiriaya said as he phased into existence beside Naruto. From Naruto's expression, Kakashi concluded that either Naruto knew beforehand that Jiraiya was going to be present or he had sensed Jiraiya when the rest of his colleagues failed. Then again, Kakashi was not surprised. One cannot become a spymaster without the skills to fool ANBU.

After everyone was in place, Jiraiya started to announce the rules. "Since everyone is in place, let me announce the rules. First, I have final say. When I declare a participant unable to fight, or are to retire, I expect that Shinobi or Kunoichi to promptly obey. Disobey my command, you find yourself suspended. Second, if your opponent concedes, you promptly get back from them. Third, no techniques that guarantee a kill are to be used. Fourth, have fun! HAJIME!"

The Team of seven experienced shinobi and kunoichi could not even react before a crushing pressure fell on their shoulders forcing them onto their knees. Kakashi, Gai, and Tora forced their heads up and looked at Naruto with apprehension and shock. An aura of blue flame like chakra was visible around Naruto, chakra visible to the naked eye. All three realized that Naruto's chakra was so dense that channeling all of that was causing it to become visible. They noted that there were cracks on the ground originating from Naruto.

* * *

"I am so happy that Naruto didn't really focus his chakra that much during the test!" Iruka said as he took a bite from the stick of dango in his hand. Beside him, Izumo looked confused. Seeing his comrade's confusion, Iruka decided to explain himself, "I asked Naruto to channel as much chakra he could. The effects were similar to what you see Izumo just that this time Naruto has focused the chakra pressure on his opponents."

"I didn't know that chakra had pressure!" Kotetsu asked with shock as he watched Kurenai shiver as she tried to stand up. Beside her, her team was barely standing, with Kakashi, Gai, and Tora being the only ones not shivering. The fearless Anko was seen looking at the boy in horror, while Asuma and Cat were cautiously watching the boy for sudden movements.

"Chakra does have pressure, the only reason we don't feel it is because our own usually nullifies the pressure we are feeling. The only time we would feel the pressure is when we face off against someone with reserves that are massive in comparison to your own. Therefore, you can see why Naruto is able to release such a monstrous pressure. What's shocking is that this is the pressure exhibited by his own chakra, I don't even want to think what pressure we would feel if Naruto had tapped into the Kyūbi's reserves as well."

Izumo and Kotetsu at the revelation, they remembered how deadly Naruto was when pranking, having been targeted before. Now, seeing a portion to the young Jinchūriki's true power, they made a mental note not to draw his ire ever again, especially since the kid could easily bring most Rookie Jōnin to their knees by just flexing his chakra.

* * *

"This is interesting. I did not think I would see a child other than Gaara being able to do this, that too without his Bijū's chakra." Rasa said causing the other Kage's to nod in understanding. Even Hiruzen was shocked at the power his surrogate grandson was exhibiting.

"I am having second thoughts now. I am not even down there and yet I can feel the slight pressure from right here. It reminds me of being in Hashirama-sensei's presence." Hiruzen said getting surprised looks from Ē and Rasa.

"I don't know much about Hashirama-sama, but his presence reminds me of my brother in Bijū Mōdō. I must say, if he is half as good as his father, I would like to spar with him to see how far I have come." Ē said with grin.

* * *

"What is happening?" Kurenai gritted out as she finally stood up, her hands and feet still shaking.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say I was facing off against Orochimaru, just without the killing intent!" Anko said with a blank look in her eyes. Everyone looked at the woman in shock.

"If you all can't stand in the very presence of my own chakra, without any augmentation through senjutsu or Bijū chakra, how can you expect to fight me, let alone evaluate me?" Naruto taunted before his blue eyes became red in color. At the same time, an incomprehensible killing intent filled the stadium. The worst of it centered on the seven ninja in front of Naruto.

All around the stadium, many civilians fainted, Genin and Chunin started vomiting, the Jōnin were shaking, and the Kage sweating profusely. All of them realized that Naruto was channeling Kyūbi's killing intent and hatred. The presence did not last long, barely a couple of seconds before it vanished, but the damage was already done.

Kurenai had fainted, foaming at the mouth. Anko, Asuma, and Cat were kneeling on the ground panting. Kakashi, Gai, and Tora were barely standing, with Gai's face covered in sweat. One could conclude that Kakashi and Tora also had sweaty faces.

"Kurenai is retired! Medic, take Kurenai out of the field. It seems that she needs immediate medical attention!" A team of medics ran onto the field and quickly carted off the unconscious Kurenai. Jiraiya turned and said, "Naruto kill the use of the killing intent. This is a spar to evaluate your skills. Using Kyūbi's killing intent to knock out opponent's showcases nothing!"

"I used that to judge the level of my opponents. If any of them fainted, as Kurenai did, then it was safe to assume that they would not be able to survive the spar. She could have lost her life. It would be a tragic accident but Konoha would have lost a fine Jōnin. That was too much a risk for me to take. Killing intent is after all a common tool among high-level shinobi." Jiraiya nodded before he turned to the Team of Jōnin and ANBU.

"You six feeling alright, do any of you want to retire?" Jiraiya asked getting glare from Anko.

"Don't coddle me pervert! I am not a snot nosed Genin!" Jiraiya nodded to Anko after seeing the others agreeing with the Snake Mistress. Nodding, Jiraiya jumped back calling out, "HAJIME!"

Before Naruto could even react, Gai, Cat, and Asuma charged forward, Cat drawing her sword and Asuma channeling chakra through his butterfly knives. At the same time, Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and started weaving hand seals for a jutsu. Anko thrust forth her palms releasing multiple snakes ready to bite the blonde haired Jinchūriki. Finally, Tora had weaved through a couple of hand seals before blowing out a strong jet of water.

"Sen'ei Jashu!" Anko had called out from behind Asuma causing the Jōnin to jump to the side as the snakes flew by. At the same time, a stream of pressurized water flew by Cat's head with Tora calling out, "Suiton: Mizurappa!"

As the two jutsu flew towards Naruto, the blonde Jinchūriki just grinned before he went through a sequence of taijutsu katas. The katas mesmerized everyone; each kata was some kind of circular motion reminiscent to the Hyūga Jūken, but still fundamentally different. The most mesmerizing thing about the katas was the motion of the winds. As Naruto went through one kata to another, the air around him flowed, following the motion of his arms.

A single upward punch caused a wave of wind to intercept the snakes and throw them out of course. With a palm thrust, a stream of compressed of air collided with the stream of water and nullified it. With a leg sweep, a blade of wind flew at the three approaching ninja causing them to jump back in order to dodge.

* * *

"That child is a truly a diamond in the rough. He has already mastered the basics of Wind Ninshu. He even recreated the Ba Gua Zhang Taijutsu style to help in manipulating the winds and he is not even in Sennin Mōdō. I didn't expect him to become this proficient already." Gamamaru commented with surprise getting shocked looks for the Monkey Sage and the Kage's.

The group kept their attention to what Naruto would do next. They saw Kakashi breath out a massive ball of fire at Naruto. At the same time, Asuma released a wave of strong winds to power the flames up, causing the ball to increase in size.

"They are going a bit far, aren't they?" Rasa asked with surprise at the collaboration ninjutsu, just before his jaws dropped at the unexpected event that occurred.

As the flames flew towards Naruto, the young sage took a deep breath before he clapped his hands together before thrusting them forward in a spear like motion. To everyone's shock, the flames split from the point of contact and flew past Naruto before quickly dying out.

Gamamaru chuckled, "It seems that he has an instinctive connection to the elements. A stronger one than even Hagoromo had. Even with Kage Bunshin, it would be impossible for him to master Fire Ninshu already, yet he used a high-ranking Fire Ninshu technique to redirect and suppress the fire, all the while executing a perfect Dancing Dragon Kata, truly an amazing feat!"

* * *

"I am so happy I decided to accept his help. Hey Sakura, did you know that he was this powerful without the fox?" Sasuke asked with trepidation. He really did not want to hear the answer, but he still needed to.

"Until the spar with Gamamaru-sama a week ago, he didn't have any knowledge on the use of Ninshu. He must have been using the Kage Bunshin to practice and master it. The shocking thing is that he had not even planned to start Fire Ninshu until he mastered Wind, Water, and Earth. Then again, he is driven by instinct during a fight. I have seen him instinctively create and master a technique during a fight." Sakura said causing Sasuke to nod in realization. At the same time, the rest of the Genin around them were gaping at Sakura's statement. They could not believe there was someone able to create and master techniques in the heat of battle.

"That's good; then we still have a chance to catch up with him, I hope!" Sasuke said with a grin Sakura giggled at that before commenting, "I don't think there is anyone in existence at this moment who will be able to challenge him. Catching up to him, we will have to see."

"You think he would teach us how to bend the elements to our will?" Sasuke asked with a curious expression marring his usually stoic face.

"As he is doing, I don't know if we would even be able to do it. The amount of chakra needed to bend an element to our will would be astronomical. I do not think anyone but a Kage or another Jinchūriki would be able to do that. Then again we may need to master senjutsu before we can even think of learning to bend the elements." Sakura said causing Sasuke to look down in disappointment. "But we can ask him and see if we can learn as well."

* * *

"I have to say Naruto; you are holding back and still giving us problems. I think it is time we took it up a notch!" Kakashi said as he nodded to Cat who was behind Naruto. Cat nodded back before quickly weaving hand seals before launching a beam of blue-white lightning at Naruto's back.

The hair on the back of Naruto's neck stood up causing the boy to react instinctively. Raising a hand, his index and middle finger up, he pointed it at the approaching lightning, all around the stadium, everyone was clutching the edges of their seats and watched in horror as the lightning struck the tips of Naruto's fingers.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed out in panic only to stop screaming in shock of what she saw.

The lightning was absorbed into Naruto's fingers; small sparks flowing down his arms, through his belly and then up the other arm; at the same time, Naruto spurn around and pointed the index and middle finger of the other hand at Tora, before launching out a larger quantity of lightning at the shocked ANBU.

Reacting on instinct, Tora quickly weaved hand seals before slamming his hands onto the ground. To everyone other than Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Cat, Jiraiya and Hiruzen's surprise, a dome of interlocking wooden pillars formed around the ANBU just as lightning struck the dome. A massive explosion occurred obscuring the dome in smoke.

"He… he… he…" Cat kept repeating in shock with Anko nodded in understanding. It was not every day an opponent turned their own jutsu against themselves or their comrades. Kakashi and Gai looked at Naruto with shock and awe.

* * *

"This is interesting. Being able to redirect lightning is not something I have ever seen. Especially since lightning generation is a very advanced Fire Ninshu technique." Gamamaru said getting confused looks from the Kage.

"Ano Gamamaru-sama, I don't mean to be rude but isn't Lightning a completely separate element?" Ē asked with trepidation. Gamamaru stared at the muscular Kage with a scrutinizing look before sighing.

"It seems that many have forgotten than Fire and Lightning are two sides of the same coin. Both are connected to heat. Fire thrives on heat while a lightning strike generates heat. Both Fire and Lightning are elements based on pure energy. Therefore, when I mean Fire Ninshu, I mean Ninshu that directly or indirectly manipulates heat. I mean no offence to you Raiton users, but Ninshu and Ninjutsu are fundamentally different. What Naruto is doing is still much more different from the Ninshu I know. If I was a betting toad, I would bet all of my experience and wisdom that he has taken Ninshu to never before been seen heights. To clarify, he should not be able to manipulate the winds to this degree without senjutsu. At first, I thought he was tapping into senjutsu and releasing it after the technique was done; now I am not too sure."

Everyone in the Kage box looked at the wizened old toad in shock. Someone with that much experience and wisdom not being able to tell what Naruto was doing was truly a shocking revelation.

* * *

"I think it is time that we end this before someone gets hurt!" Naruto said as the orange pigmentation appeared around his eyes before a golden cloak of chakra formed around him. Before the shocked Ninja could react, Naruto had appeared above the wooden dome with a swirling ball of chakra in his hand. The five ninja watched as a swirling blade of wind chakra formed around the orb releasing a high-pitched whistling sound.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock; that is the completed version of his Sensei's Rasengan. Knowing the destructive abilities of the original, Kakashi screamed out, "Tenzo get out of there!"

"Senpō: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto called out as the chakra arm extended and collided with the dome. Everyone watched in shock as the small orb exploded and encompassed the wooden dome within a dome of swirling winds. When the jutsu faded, the wooden dome had vanished. Not even sawdust remained.

"Tenzo!" Cat called out in shock and fell to her knees. Cat's mask fell revealing the face of a beautiful woman with tears flowing down her face originating from her black eyes. Anko crouched down beside the distraught woman and placed a hand on her shoulder while glaring at Naruto.

"How could you? Why would you use a technique that was guaranteed to kill? Jiraiya-sama, why didn't you stop him?" Anko gritted out just before another Naruto appeared beside Jiraiya and placed the unconscious Tora on the ground before dissipating in a puff of smoke.

"All of you are Elite Shinobi of Konoha. A supposed death of your comrade has reduced you to such a pathetic state, despicable. If you had any trust in your teammate, you would have known that he would have escaped. You even let your guard down right at this moment!" Naruto said before he vanished from sight, reappeared beside the two women, and knocked them out before they could even widen their eyes in shock.

* * *

"What the hell? I did not expect him to be this fast! It took me years to reach my top speed and he surpassed it in under a quarter of that time!" Ē said with wide eyes before turning to Hiruzen, "What do you feed these Genin Hokage-dono?"

Hiruzen chuckled, "I think that I have to make Ramen a staple diet for all my Shinobi. I can't believe that Naruto-kun is this strong by only surviving on Ramen!" Rasa and Ē looked at the old Kage with cautious looks, not sure, if they should believe him or not.

* * *

"Kakashi, can you get me a moment. I wish I did not have to use this, but Naruto-kun is too youthful to dishonor him by holding back anymore." Seeing that Gai was serious, Kakashi nodded before charging at Naruto with his Sharingan spinning.

Before he even covered half the distanced, Kakashi saw that Naruto's chakra coils pulsed right before Naruto smacked his foot into the ground causing a large boulder to shoot up into the air right in front of the blonde Jinchūriki before he threw a punch in Kakashi's direction.

The Sharnigan wielding Jōnin's eyes widened in shock as the boulder flew at him with great speed. Looking around, he saw that there was not anything to substitute with, so Kakashi sighed as his lone Sharingan morphed into a three-pronged pinwheel.

"Kamui!"

Everyone stared at the boulder in shock. They saw it start twisting in on itself before suddenly vanishing into nonexistence. At the same time, Kakashi clutched his Sharingan and fell on his knees. Not wasting any time, Naruto appeared beside the downed Jōnin in an impressive burst of speed and held a Kunai to the man's throat. "Yield Kakashi-sensei, I can sense that you are about to fall over due to extreme chakra exhaustion."

Kakashi nodded before calling out in a raspy voice, "I concede!"

"Kakashi concedes defeat. Medics take the man away!" Jiraiya called out just as Naruto placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder causing a cloak of red bubbling chakra to envelope the man.

* * *

"That right there is what we told you about! Naruto-sama is sharing Kyūbi's chakra with Kakashi-sensei!" Tenten said as she excitedly pointed towards Kakashi. The other Genin watched as the chakra changed from red to yellow before being absorbed into Kakashi.

"What did he do?" Ino asked in shock when Sakura replied with an uncertain tone, "I think he changed the composition of the Chakra from balanced yin-yang to higher yang concentration."

"Why would he do that?" Shikamaru asked with curiosity.

"Yang Chakra is the physical aspect of chakra. The reason Bijū chakra has such regenerative abilities without weakening the life force of the patient is due to the strong life force the Bijū possesses. So disbalancing the chakra into yang should increase the potency of the healing abilities of the chakra. I think that Naruto is trying to heal Kakashi-sensei's chakra exhaustion."

"That's interesting." Sakura nodded to Shikamaru before turning back to the evaluation only to look surprised at what Gai did.

* * *

Massive booms had sounded around the Arena as soon as Kakashi rushed towards Naruto. While Naruto was distracted, he used the moment to unlock his inner gates.

"KAIMON KAI!"

"KYŪMON KAI!"

"SEIMON KAI!"

"SHŌMON KAI!"

"TOMON KAI!"

"KEIMON KAI!"

Gai's hair was flowing up due to the intense chakra pressure around him. His skin had become dark red, while his eyes had become pure white. The most amazing thing about him was the green aura surrounding him. He waited until Kakashi left using a Shunshin before drawing Naruto's attention to himself.

"I must say Naruto-kun, you are the most youthful ninja I have ever seen. Since you defeated all of my comrades without even trying, it would be a slight to you not to fight at my best, so prepare to face the power of the Green Beast!" Gai said before he vanished from view and reappeared behind Naruto, the Jinchūriki still clad in Kyūbi chakra mōdō augmented with senjutsu, and kicked him into the air before continuing to kick the young blonde jinchūriki higher into the air before performing a flip and crashing an extended fist and foot into Naruto's stomach.

"Ura Renge!" Gai called out as Naruto flew towards the ground.

Everyone cried out in shock at the beating Gai gave the young blonde boy, but sighed in relief when Naruto performed a midair pirouette causing a massive gust of wind to catch him before he kissed the unforgiving ground. Everyone watched in shock as both landed on their feet and stared at each other with inscrutable expressions.

After what seemed like hours, Gai finally spoke up. "Just as I expected, your senjutsu enhanced Kyūbi chakra cloak is too strong to pierce using such weak techniques. Let's see how it stands up to my next move!"

Naruto grinned before he and Gai vanished and reappeared clashing in the middle of the field. Every punch Gai threw caught alight in flames while Naruto used minor circular motions to cause gusts to wind to blow away the flames while the motions themselves easily redirected the punches. Jumping back, Naruto did a circular leg sweep at Gai causing a wave of wind to fly towards the spandex clad Jōnin. With a show of strength, Gai easily withstood the gale force wind before he grinned.

"It seems that nothing less than the red beast would be able to fight against some one of you caliber, but since releasing the red beast would kill me, let us be satisfied with the blue beast! KYŌMON KAI!"

* * *

"DON'T GAI-SENSEI! YOU WILL BE HOSPITALIZED!" Lee shouted out in fear causing the others to look at the boy in shock.

"What do you mean Gai-sensei will be hospitalized?" Tenten asked with a shaky voice causing Lee to look at the others with a serious expression.

"The Hachimon Tonkō no Jin is a Kinjutsu, the pinnacle of Taijutsu. Opening the inner gates grants great strength but rips the body apart from the inside. The greater the number of gates opened, the greater the effect on the body. One has to prepare the body to survive the opening of the gates. That is one of the reasons Gai-sensei and I train so hard. If we slack off, our own techniques will kill us. Releasing the Blue Beast is synonymous to opening seven of the eight gates. The blue vapors you see surrounding Gai-sensei are the result of his own sweat vaporizing mixing with the chakra being released by Gai-sensei. Opening the eighth gate would give Gai-sensei power to rival all three Kage at the same time, but in the end, he would die from the strain. No amount of training would allow someone's body to survive the strain." After Lee finished his explanation, the rest of the Genin excluding Sakura stared Gai in horror.

* * *

"I can sense the strain your body is being put through. Are you sure you don't want to concede?" Naruto asked with concern. Gai just shook his head before he placed a hand, palm facing towards Naruto, in front of his face and tapped it with his other hand. A massive air pressure formed around Gai as he formed a unique tiger shaped hand seal. The air pressure solidified into a massive roaring tiger head with Gai in the center of the mouth.

As Gai was preparing his technique, Naruto seemed to have been dancing. Streams of wind congregated above the boy with every sweeping circular motions, leaps, and twists. As both shinobi finished their preparations, both thrust their fists towards their opponents.

From Gai's side, the tiger head flew forward, ripping the ground to pieces. At the same time, the swirling orb of wind floating above Naruto's head compressed into a tiny ball before exploding out into a massive eastern dragon and flew towards the approaching tiger head.

The two techniques collided filling the whole arena with dust and winds. All the spectators expectantly waited for the next bout only to be surprised when a massive sphere of swirling wind was conjured in the middle of the field. They saw Naruto's silhouette floating in the middle of the sphere glowing with golden chakra. Near him, Gai's silhouette could be seen crouching on the ground, the blue vapors flying about wildly.

"I think we have had enough fun, don't you Gai-sensei?" Naruto called out right before the sphere contracted into a small ball in Naruto's hand. Thrusting his arms forward, the small sphere of dense winds flew towards the immobile Gai with the speed of a flying arrow.

Gai watched the small ball approach, but resigned himself to be hit by it. He knew that he would not recover in time to dodge. Just as the ball reached him, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable pain to come. After a while, when the expected pain failed to register, Gai opened his eyes to look at a wall of swirling wind. Before he could even stand up, the walls contracted around him as portions dissipated while other solidified into five orbs, one on each limb and the final on his head.

Gai tried to free himself through brute force before he felt himself become woozy. His vision started to swim and his breath became short. Gai increased his struggles resulting in his breath becoming shorter. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

* * *

"What did Naruto-kun do?" Lee asked with concern.

"I don't know, but it looks like some kind of sealing technique, only made out of pure wind." Tenten said with an awed expression.

"Tenten is right. The spheres are carved with Fūinjutsu shiki by a different concentration of fūton chakra. Have you seen him do such things before?" Neji asked Sakura only for the pinkette to shake her head.

"If it contains fūinjutsu, he must have created in recently. Until a week ago, he did not know much about fūinjutsu. Then again, his clan specialty was fūinjutsu, so I am not surprised that he is already this proficient." Neji nodded in understanding. There were prodigies born to clans who had a great understanding of their clan techniques, he was one himself. It seemed that Naruto was one as well.

"That's fine but how is he doing that? Don't we need ink and tags to apply seals?" Shikamaru asked with curiosity.

"Don't ask me, Tenten is the fūinjutsu expert here. The only other one is the one using that technique!" Sakura huffed in annoyance.

"The Uzumaki Clan was always able to project seals using their own chakra. You can call it a pseudo-bloodline. They have done it for so long that the unique chakra signature of the clan had changed in its properties to allow such a thing. I know that it can be taught, but not to the level young Naruto-kun is doing. Jiraiya-sama can carve seals with chakra alone. Nidaime-sama and Yondaime-sama could apply a seal with just a touch."

The group turned to see an old woman was the speaker. Seeing the inquiring looks from the youngsters, the woman chuckled and said, "The names Hanako. I was a Jōnin that served under Nidaime-sama during the start second war and under Sandaime-sama under the third. I was fortunate enough to see both Nidaime-sama and Yondaime-sama in combat personally. I was also had the honor to see the Uzumaki Clan in action. Some of the Sealing Masters could take down rampaging Bijū by manifesting chains out of their own chakra and using it as a medium to use their Fūinjutsu. However, Naruto-kun has taken it to a completely different level. How he is doing it without keeping a constant connection to the chakra, I do not know."

"So such levels of Fūinjutsu were common among the Uzumaki Clan?' Sasuke asked with interest. He had read that the Uzumaki was considered a Clan at the same level as his own, the Uchiha, now he was realizing why.

Hanako nodded, "That's right, though they also have a strong life force, allowing members of the clan and their descendants to live for much longer than average while having huge reserves of chakra and a strong healing factor."

"Maito Gai has fainted and with that, the evaluation spar is over. Shōsha, Uzumaki Naruto!" Jiraiya's voice filled the stadium drawing everyone's attention back to the field.

Sakura did not wait any longer and jumped over the barrier and onto the field, Team 9 following in her wake. As they reached downed Gai, they could see small amount of blood seeping from the man's nose and mouth. Sakura crouched down beside the downed man, her palms glowing with green iryō chakra. Before she could even place her hand on the unconscious man, Naruto placed his palm on Gai's chest, causing the bubbling chakra cloak to form around him. The cloak glowed golden for a few moments before being absorbed into Gai right before the man coughed and sat up.

"Lie back down Gai-sensei, I need to check you!" Sakura ordered as Lee and Tenten forced the man back down. Sakura scanned Gai with her jutsu for a few moments before sighing in relief. "You are good to go Gai-sensei. When Lee said that you would end up hospitalized, I was quite worried, but it seems that Naruto has decided that I wasn't a good enough medic, so he created a powerful healing technique." Sakura said with a smile.

"Of course I don't think that you are a worthless medic. I just wanted Gai-sensei back on his feet as soon as possible, so I channeled yang chakra into him to speed up the process, just as Kurama does when I am injured!' Naruto exclaimed.

"I was joking Naruto, I already realized what you were doing, besides I doubt anyone other than you or a fellow Jinchūriki could do that, though I doubt that anyone else other than you would be able to purify Bijū chakra enough to make it effective." Naruto nodded in appreciation. "You can get up Gai-sensei but make sure to rest for a couple of days."

"Yosh, your spring time of youth is blooming with beautiful flowers, being willing enough to heal your opponent when it is not your job is truly youthful! May than heart of yours never be tainted with un-youthfulness Naruto-kun," Gai said with a smile as he stood up. "And Sakura-chan, I will take your recommendation with humble acceptance!"

Sakura nodded with satisfaction before turning to Naruto only to see a horse masked ANBU talking with her teammate.

"Naruto-sama, Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you and your Team, right after Kakashi-sempai is given the clean bill of health." Naruto nodded to the ANBU causing the man to bow before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"You heard him, right?"

Sakura sighed before nodding, "Yeah I heard. What do you think this is about; calling you, I would understand, but the whole team?"

"I don't know, but we will find out soon anyway." Naruto said as he pointed towards the approaching Kakashi and Sasuke.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Shodai = First_**

 ** _Nidaime = Second_**

 ** _Sandaime = Third_**

 ** _Myōbokuzan = Mount Myōboku_**

 ** _Rikudō Sennin = Six Paths Sage_**

 ** _Akai Chishio no Habanero = Red Hot-Blooded Habanero_**

 ** _Būkijutsu = Weapon Techniques_**

 ** _Ōzaru Sennin = Great Monkey Sage_**

 ** _Dōjutsu = Eye Techniques_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu Shiki = Sealing Arts Formula_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu = Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique_**

 ** _Hachimon Tonkō = Eight Inner Gates_**

 ** _Konoha Gōriki Senpū = Leaf Strong Whirlwind_**

 ** _Sen'ei Jashu = Hidden Shadow Snake Hands_**

 ** _Suiton: Mizurappa = Water Release: Water Trumpet_**

 ** _Senpō: Rasenshuriken = Sage Art: Spiralling Shuriken_**

 ** _Kamui = Authority of the Gods_**

 ** _Kaimon Kai = Gate of Opening Open_**

 ** _Kyūmon Kai = Gate of Healing Open_**

 ** _Seimon Kai = Gate of Life Open_**

 ** _Shōmon Kai = Gate of Pain Open_**

 ** _Tomon Kai = Gate of Limit Open_**

 ** _Keimon Kai = Gate of View Open_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

 ** _Kyōmon Kai = Gate of Wonder Open_**

 ** _Hachimon Tonkō no Jin = Eight Inner Gates Formation_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	7. Chapter 6 - A step towards the Future

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 ** _A/N: Answer to a Review: -_**

 **Guest007, Review for Chapter 6, October 3rd** **: -** **Now I'm seeing that most of the people are more interested in pairing Naruto with Hinata more than to develop the story. I will say Naruto X Sakura will be lot better for this particular story or "no pairing" will be much more better. Because Naruto and Sakura are in this time travel together and have a lot, years of bonding between them. Although I prefer "No Pairing" would be better.**

 **Now a days I noticed people come to fanfiction and demand their favorite pairing to the author and if it's gets fulfilled they like that story despite it has good content or not and if not fulfilled they will say bad things about it despite how well written that story is. people of current generation can't get's past their selfish mindset and sex. That's all they know while reading fanfiction, al lest most of the people, I will say 95% of them. And by doing that these people completely neglect the very core foundation of Naruto series and the idea behind Naruto's Character, who naruto is or what he wanted to be.**

 **Now I think that stadium is too small for all this fight to happen there, especially with gai's all gate released.**

 _Thank you for the review. Now to the case of the stadium being too small, I think that making everyone underestimate Naruto's true power without even using Kurama's power was an interesting way to go. Everyone decided to showcase Kurama's power, not Naruto's own. I went a little different. Besides, as you read, I had Naruto quickly finish the fight as soon as Gai released the gates. Gai's character is known to go overboard when he is excited. This was just another such case._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them!:)  
Though it would have been better if I got more reviews.**

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – A step towards the Future**

Kakashi and Sasuke were sitting on the porch of Naruto's house looking at the koi pond while waiting for their blonde haired teammate to get ready for the party the Fire Daimyō and the Hokage were jointly hosting. Sakura had already entered the house to make sure that Naruto did not try to wear something inappropriate.

Sasuke was wearing a formal navy kimono with the Uchiha crest proudly displayed on his back. Around the kimono sleeves, embroideries of golden flames were glowing in the fading light of the sun. Beside him, Kakashi was wearing a formal variant of his Ninja uniform. Over the uniform, he wore a grey haori with the Hatake clan crest embroidered on the back.

"Kakashi may I ask you a question?" Sasuke asked with curiosity. Kakashi stared at his student with his single eye before nodding.

"Sure thing Sasuke, what do you want to know?"

"Did all of you really give it your all, or was it planned to show Naruto as one of the most powerful shinobi of the village?"

Kakashi hummed of a few moments before saying, "Kurenai, Anko, Neko, and Tora underestimated him, so was unable to fully showcase their abilities against him, with Tora showing about seventy percent of their abilities. Only Gai and I gave it our all, well our all that would not have ended up with us dead in the end. Even then, Naruto easily defeated us with ease. I will bet my Icha Icha collection that we did not even phase him. In fact, I doubt that Naruto even showed a quarter of his true abilities. Then there was his speed. It reminded me of Minato-sensei and his Hiraishin, just but without the seals. I cannot even fathom how much more powerful he will become by the time the Chunin Exams come by in six months."

"I see. He really is at a level that is unreachable by most shinobi, isn't he?" Sasuke stated with sadness.

"My summons has said that even in the Summons World, he is an interesting subject. From what Pakkun said, Gamamaru-sama, the Ōgama Sennin said, Naruto is more talented than the Rikudō Sennin was and he is progressing at a level that makes us prodigies look like toddlers. From what I can see, Naruto learns by doing something, not by reading about it like us. Then again, it may have been a ruse to hide his abilities. Remember this Sasuke, while Naruto's strength seems unattainable and to a certain degree, it is, but he reached this height by himself, just as Sakura has. You and I have a lot of hard work to be able to keep up with them. If we do this right, our Team may become the next standard for teams just as the Ino-Shika-Cho formation and the Sannin were before Orochimaru betrayed us."

"I understand what you mean Kakashi. We should not ignore any advice Naruto gives us. Without even trying, he helped me activate the Sharingan in a single training session, then helping me master the Tree Walking Exercise and the Water Walking Exercise in the minimum amount of time. If this keeps up long enough we may have to start calling him Naruto-sensei!" Sasuke said with a small chuckle causing Kakashi to look at the former Avenger in shock.

Before Kakashi could say anything, the duo heard the sound of a shoji door sliding open. They turned around and saw Saukra walking out in her crimson red kimono with sakura petal embroidery done in silver thread. A simple hair clip made of blue crystal held her bangs away from her face. Surprisingly, unlike they expected, Sakura had only minor makeup applied to her face. Her lips painted a pale pink. Following her was Naruto wearing the white kimono he wore when his heritage was revealed.

"Shouldn't you wear something else Naruto? In high society, wearing the same formal clothes does not look good." Kakashi said getting a surprised look from Sasuke.

"First sensei, I was an orphan with no one to teach me that. Second, I do not have any other formal clothing that will fit me. Finally, this was commissioned by my mother, so it has some sentimental value added to it." Naruto stated in matter of fact tone causing Kakashi to nod in realization.

"What do you mean you don't have any other formal clothes? As a Clan Heir, you will need many more formal clothing, especially since the Uzumaki are a Royal Clan."

"I learned about my heritage just recently, officially. Besides, I have been busy studying my clan history, clan jutsu, and developing the new style of manipulating the elements. I did not have enough time to go shopping. In addition, until now, most of the shops had denied me access before. I do not know if they will allow now, and if I will even shop in those shops. Either all my previous clothes were gifted to me, picked up from dumpsters, or I was overcharged. I was unable to buy food as well. Some were kind enough to throw me some leftovers and the Ichiraku, who always welcomed me in their shop. Therefore, you tell me, do you think I grew up thinking different outfits were a necessity?" Naruto stated to Sasuke and Sakura's surprise. Kakashi looked down at the confirmation of his suspicions.

"Then why do you want to even protect the people who have treated you like this? Why not take revenge?" Sasuke said with anger. "You have the Kyūbi's power and your own. I am sure that you can easily erase Konoha from the surface of the world!"

"Revenge isn't everything. Yes I can take revenge, but what would happen after that? It would leave me hollow and filled the world with more hatred. In addition, I do not want to become like them. Hate them for hating what they do not understand. It is in human nature to hate that we do not understand. Now let us leave the past in the past. We should think about the future and live in the present."

* * *

Team 7 was walking down the road towards the Hokage Mansion when Team 8, Team 9, and Team 10 met up with them. Each of them was wearing formal clothing. The Sensei of each of the teams was wearing formal uniforms with Asuma wearing a medallion with the Fire Daimyō's crest engraved on it. Beside him, Kurenai was wearing a blood red short kimono with a large sakura tree embroidered on it. Gai was Gai, wearing a formal variant of his usual spandex uniform with the addition of his Jōnin Vest and a blue haori with the kanji for Beast embroidered on the back.

Team 8 was dressed in formal kimonos that were common in their clans. Hinata was wearing an ornate sky blue kimono that was similar to the robes Naruto had seen Hiashi wear in the council meeting, only designed for a female. Beside her, Shino was wearing a high-collared forest green kimono that hid his face, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. Kiba was wearing a brown and silver kimono that showed off a portion of his chest.

From Team 9, Lee copied Gai with his haori holding the kanji for Beast in Training. Tenten was wearing a white qipao with a black dragon motif. Her hair pulled up in her usual buns. Beside her, Neji was wearing a more ornate version of his usual robes.

From Team 10, Shikamaru was complaining about wearing the black and grey formal kimono his mother had forced him to wear. Beside him, Chōji was munching on bag of chips wearing a formal version of his usual uniform. Finally, Ino was wearing a dark purple kimono with a lot of make up on her face and her platinum blonde hair in a high ponytail.

"Hey everyone!" Naruto called out the attention of the other teams. After greeting each other, Ino asked the question floating around most of the Genin's minds.

"Why were we invited to this banquet?"

Nearly everyone shrugged, showing that none of them knew the reason. For some reason, Ino saw Team 7 and the rest of the Jōnin Sensei not reacting to her question. "Asuma-sensei, you know something, right?"

"It should be obvious Ino. Most of you are heirs' members of prominent clans. Then there are Tenten, Sakura, and Lee. Each of them are showing potential that is rare even among prominent ninja clans with Tenten's marksmanship, Sakura's position as the youngest fully certified combat iryōnin, and Lee's mastery of taijutsu that allowed him to pass the Academy even though he can't use chakra externally. These qualities always draw the attention of the nobles." Asuma said before Kurenai interrupted.

"You as the ones they will hire in the future. Your skills and your behavior are what they will be looking at. Know this; you are representing Konoha as a whole, not just your Clans and families, so we expect all of you to be on your best behavior."

"Besides, the Hokage and the Fire Daimyō, as a thank you to the foreign dignitaries for coming this far just to view a short half an hour evaluation arranged this banquet and so that they could personally meet Naruto." Sasuke said getting surprised looks from the rest of the Genin.

"What do you mean to meet Naruto? Then why were we invited?" Kiba questioned with confusion.

"And how would you know that Uchiha-san?"

Looking at Shino Sasuke smirked. "That's because Team 7 was there when the Hokage and the Fire Daimyō told Naruto about the banquet and his position of Guest of Honor."

"Naruto asked permission for the most prominent Genin for his generation to attend as his guests. That is why we are here. Teams 7, 8 and 10 are the only ones that passed the Genin Test this year. Team 9 is the only surviving team to pass last year. The rest lost members and reassigned to reserves or to other departments." Sakura said getting a glare from Sasuke.

"Did you have to ruin my fun? I was waiting for dog breath to crack!"

"This is neither the place nor the time for petty rivalry!" Sakura snapped getting surprised looks from her fellow Genin. Looking around, they saw that Sakura was right. They were already close to the Hokage Mansion, along with many civilians staring at them with scrutinizing gazes. Wrong behavior would bring shame to their clans.

As they approached the gates, a bald man with a severe face and wearing white and black robes with a sash similar to Asuma's. "Asuma my friend, it has been too long!"

"That it has Chiriku, are you here to greet the guests?" Asuma asked with a smile.

"Not exactly, that's what young Shuren is here for," the man named Chiriku said as he pointed to a young monk standing beside him. "I was asked by Hideyoshi-sama to await young Naruto-sama's arrival. It has come to his attention that not only is Naruto-sama the last know Uzumaki, he is also the grandson of the Uzumaki Hikaru-sama, the Third Uzukage and the last Daimyō of Uzu no Kuni. He wanted me to ask you Naruto-sama, will you be averse to releasing that information to the rest of the Daimyō. He has been administering Uzu as your mother requested when he asked her. Now he asks you the same."

Naruto looked startled at that revelation, while the others looked at the blonde Jinchūriki with disbelief. Naruto looked at Sakura, hoping she could give him some advice. "Don't look at me. This is something you need to figure out yourself and right now."

"Is he planning to announce that right away if I agree?" Chiriku nodded with an understanding smile.

"That's is what he hopes, but he will understand if you want some more time to make a decision"

Naruto was about ask for more time when Kurama finally spoke up, _"Allow it Naruto on the condition that until you retire from your Ninja Career, The Fire Daimyō keeps administering Uzu no Kuni as your proxy while sending you monthly reports. It will allow you to grow into the position while still allowing you to prepare for the future."_

Naruto nodded before saying, "I don't have a problem with my heritage being revealed, but I would ask that Hideyoshi-sama still serves as my proxy until I retire from being a Ninja." Chiriku nodded before turned to the rest of the group.

"Now before we enter, can I please get all of your names and Team Affiliations? We need to announce your entries. Each entry will be team wise with Sensei followed by students with the exception of Naruto-sama, who will be announced first with his team following him." Chiriku said before noting down the name and team affiliations of everyone.

* * *

"Naruto-san is an exceptional shinobi Hokage-dono. You should be proud of him. I just wish that my own Jinchūriki Gaara would have even a tenth of his abilities. Rasa failed in his creation." The Wind Daimyō said to Hiruzen. Beside him, Rasa clenched his fists in anger.

"I am sure that with proper training, even young Gaara would be able to easily control his Bijū's powers. Though from what Naruto-kun had said, Kyūbi always calls Shukaku an empty headed sand rat. So we can conclude that the only way for young Gaara to be able to use Shukaku's power to the fullest is to supress his will Yoshihiro-dono." Hiruzen said with a reassuring smile.

"From what Gyuki has said to my brother, Shukaku has intelligence but he is uncooperative at the best of times. Young Gaara would have a hard time coming to a compromise with the Ichibi. Besides supressing the will of a Bijū is nearly impossible unless one has a pure heart." Ē said with a grim expression.

A silence filled their side of the chamber when the River Daimyō approached the group. "I have heard rumours that Uzumaki Naruto is the grandson of the last Uzu Daimyō. Is that true?"

The Fire Daimyō was about to answer when Chiriku started announcing the entrance of new guests. "Announcing Uzumaki Naruto-sama, the present Head of the Uzumaki Clan, the Sixteenth Uzu Daimyō and Genin member of Konoha's Team 7 with his guests, Hatake Kakashi, the present Head of the Hatake Clan and Jōnin Sensei to Konoha's Team 7, Uchiha Sasuke, the present Head of the Uchiha Clan and Genin member of Team 7, and finally Haruno Sakura the final Genin member of Team 7 and the youngest fully certified combat Iryōnin."

Following the announcement, Naruto entered the room with his head held high with Kakashi following behind him with the rest of his team mates following behind Kakashi with heads held high.

"Announcing Maito Gai, Jōnin Sensei of Konoha's Team 9 and master of the Gōken Taijutsu Style with his Genin, Higurashi Tenten, the upcoming Weapon Mistress of Konoha, Rock Lee, Apprentice to Maito Gai, and Hyūga Neji, member of the prestigious Hyūga Clan."

Team 9 entered following the announcement. Gai and Lee entered with excitement while Tenten gave of nervous vibes. Neji, on the other hand, was completely stoic.

"Announcing Yūhi Kurenai, Jōnin Sensei of Konoha's Team 8 and Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha with her Genin, Hyūga Hinata, Heir Presumptive of the Prestigious Hyūga Clan, Aburame Shino, Heir Apparent of the Aburame Clan, and Inuzuka Kiba, secondary Heir to the Inuzuka Clan."

Team 8 entered with Kurenai calmly walking into the room though some could see the tensing of her back. Hinata was similar to her sensei, adopting a stern expression though small uncertainty could be seen in her eyes. Shino was stoic as ever while Kiba entered with an excited expression.

"Announcing Sarutobi Asuma, Jōnin Sensei of Konoha's Team 10, former member of the Twelve Ninja Guardians and Heir Apparent of the Sarutobi Clan with his Genin, Yamanka Ino, Heir Apparent of the Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Chōji, Heir Apparent of the Akimichi Clan, and Nara Shikamaru, Heir Apparent of the Nara Clan."

Team 10 walked in with heads held high following their Sensei's example, though Naruto could swear that Shikamaru was muttering about the whole thing being troublesome.

"Ah, the Guest of Honor and his guests have arrived!" Hideyoshi, the Fire Daimyō said quickly detaching himself from the group of Kage and Daimyō that surrounded him and approaching Naruto. "Naruto-dono, I am happy that you have agreed to accept your rightful place on the throne, though I must confess, how you are planning to be both a ninja of Konoha and administer Uzu? While under us and our honoured father's administration, we have helped the refugees rebuild the country which now thrives once again."

"You and your honoured father have our gratitude for all the help you have given us and our country Hideyoshi-dono, but may I request that you keep administering Uzu until I retire from my ninja career, or at least until I have been able to finish the Ketsueki Bunshin no Jutsu." Naruto said with a presence of authority that isn't normally seen in someone so young.

"When did Naruto learn to talk nobleish?" Kiba asked the rest of the Genin when Sakura giggled and replied, "Its Noblesse, and I have no idea but he is doing quite well."

"Maybe it's because of his blood. He is of royal descent after all." Sasuke said with a grin. "I am actually afraid of what he would have already become if he had the proper training from birth."

All the gathered Genin, their Sensei, and the nearby Clan Heads shivered at the thought. All of them agreeing that any political enemy of the boy would be dead before anyone even realized what had happened.

"Forgive me for interrupting Hideyoshi-dono, but what do you mean by Ketsueki Bunshin no Jutsu Naruto-kun? You haven't been experimenting with kinjutsu have you? Any kind of blood clone would require too much blood to be of viable use. All research into blood clones were dropped when the Ninja Sage Noboru died from blood loss three hundred years ago."

"Mother and Father had already done most of the research. I just have to finish the jutsu. When I am done, it would only need about half-a-pint of blood to do the jutsu!" Naruto said causing all the Ninja's faces to pale in realization.

"Even if you succeed, I would like to tell you that your Ketsueki Bunshin would be marked kinjutsu. Come to me as soon as you succeed and make sure to not teach it to someone else unless I allow it." Hiruzen stated with a stern expression only for Naruto to shake his head.

"Sorry, can't do that. My Ketsueki Bunshin is a derivative of the Kage Bunshin, but I plan on declaring it Clan Jutsu. Besides it requires approximately twice as much chakra as the Kage Bunshin, so anyone outside my Clan would die out of chakra exhaustion anyway. Declaring it Clan Jutsu would also keep it away from unsavoury kinds of people like that bandaged old man." Hiruzen looked surprised but nodded in agreement.

"I can't stop you from declaring it a Clan Jutsu, but make sure to not teach it to someone unworthy. If it has the properties of the Kage Bunshin with the proposed properties of the Blood Clone's. I don't want to think what it could do in the hands of the unworthy."

"I agree with Hokage-dono, Naruto-dono! Such techniques should be taught and used as sparingly as possible." Ē said with a stern expression. Naruto nodded in agreement before he was pulled into a conversation with the Wind Daimyō.

Over the next three hours, Naruto walked about greeting Daimyō and representatives of the different countries Hiruzen had invited to watch Naruto's evaluation. From time to time, Naruto could be seen talking with his fellow genin and their Jōnin Sensei before returning to socialize with the nobility and their representatives.

Near the end of the night, the Raikage and Kazekage approached Naruto as he was speaking with a Daimyō. "Pardon us Tsuki Kakeru-dono, but may we steal Naruto-dono away for a moment?"

Tsuki Kakeru, the Daimyō of Tsuki no Kuni was an elder man nearing his sixties looked up at the two Kage with a suspicious gaze. After a couple of moments of silent contemplation, the man turned back to Naruto. "Then I shall take my leave Naruto-dono. Please give consideration to my proposal and if you are every in my country, feel free to call on me. Your Grandfather was a good friend of my fathers. It is always a pleasure to host an Uzumaki. All of your clan had a way of brightening up the people they are around."

"It was an honour to meet you Kakeru-dono. I promise to call on you if I am in Tsuki and I will put considerable consideration to your proposal." Naruto said with a respectful bow, a bow that Kakeru returned before leaving.

"Naruto-dono, I must congratulate you on mastering the power of the Kyūbi and at such a young age." Ē said getting a nod from Naruto. "But I must confess that I wonder how you achieved that feat at such a young age."

"I must agree with Ē-dono. It truly is an amazing feat. I just wish my own Jinchūriki, Gaara would be able to achieve a similar feat. It is disappointing that he can't even master the power of the Ichibi, when someone his age has already mastered the power of the Kyūbi."

Naruto and Ē frowned at Rasa's statement before Ē replied, "Isn't young Gaara your youngest son?"

Rasa nodded with an emotionless face. "That's right. I didn't expect him to be such a disappointment. It's too bad. He is an exemplary shinobi, but he easily succumbs to Shukaku's will. He is a liability to the village."

"May be the seal is not stable enough." Naruto stated getting an annoyed look from Rasa and an understanding look from Ē.

"You think the mind separation component is not working, right?"

"That's right Raikage-dono. Either that, or Gaara has himself damaged the separation component. My seal though is different now. Previously, it used to keep me and Kurama completely separate, only letting a sliver of his power through. Higher amounts would have corroded the Hakke no Fūin Shiki. When I befriended the fox and helped him overcome his hatred for humans, the seal changed into Torii Seal. It allows us to easily synchronize our chakra without restraint. Our trust in each other is the strength of the seal. If required, I can restrain Kurama and separate his chakra away from him, but lose access to Bijū Mōdō."

"That is quite fascinating Naruto-dono. It seems that you and my brother are very similar. I just wish Yugito would stop complaining about Matatabi's quirks and build a better friendship with her. Now may I ask how you shared Bijū chakra?" Ē asked with curiosity, beside him Rasa silently seethed at being ignored by the two.

"That depends on the Jinchūriki. If they can truly understand the nature of their Bijū, themselves and their merged chakra, they can easily share it with others. Is that all Raikage-dono?" Naruto asked with a grin. Ē looked surprised but nodded in respect. He could appreciate the subtle way Naruto declared the end of that line of questioning.

"Now Naruto-dono, you said something about Gaara himself damaging the separation component. Why would you think of something like that? I doubt Gaara is badly treated, I mean he is the son of their Yondaime Kazekage and a jailor of the Ichibi. He deserves respect for both his lineage and his burden." Ē said with a mocking grin directed at Rasa.

"Are you insinuating that I encourage the mistreatment of Gaara?" Rasa said with a cold voice causing Ē to shake his head, his mocking grin not fading.

"I would say that probably the separation component has been faulty from the start, though I may be wrong. I would say only a level eight and above Seal Master would be able to correct the seal, it what I suspect is true." Naruto said causing Rasa's attention to shift to the young Jinchūriki.

"Are you insinuating that my Seal Master has botched the job? I would like you to know that Elder Chiyo is the finest Seal Master in all of Suna!" Rasa gritted out in anger.

"I never meant any insult, but a seal designed to hold a Bijū in a Jinchūriki is far more complex than one that holds a lower Bijū in an inanimate object. I am only saying that we are human after all. We all make mistakes." Naruto stated causing Rasa to stiffly nod before storming away.

"He doesn't take too well to criticism does he, even if it is well hidden?" Naruto asked Ē with a small grin causing the Raikage to nod in agreement.

"Anyway Naruto-dono, I wish to hear your views on the political climate that permeates the nations at this current time."

Naruto appeared thoughtful for a few moments, but the far off look in his eyes gave Ē a minor hint that he was speaking with the Kyūbi. Nodding to himself Naruto stated, "The present climate that gives off the illusion of peace is quite loathsome. While an uneasy peace does exist, it is easily broken by the smallest of conflicts. And with each such infraction, we just create more hatred in the world, allowing the cycle of hatred to keep running. I believe that the only way we can achieve true peace is through complete understanding. We have the foundations, we just need to build upon it to achieve that peace. Some of the militant ideals, like the ones that lead to Gaara being cursed to become a Jinchūriki need to go, while better ideals need to be introduced. If we all are able to forget past grudges and live in the present, I believe that we can easily achieve a steady peace. So to tell the truth, while I barely like the uneasy peace, I would love the peace I just described."

Ē nodded in respect and understanding. "I agree with you to a certain degree, but I doubt we could forget past grudges so easily. It will be up to the next generation, particularly your own, to build that peace on the foundations that today's uneasy peace provides."

"I agree with Ē-dono, Naruto-kun. We will try and make the foundations as stable as possible, it will be up to your generation to build the everlasting peace that you wish." Hiruzen said as he came to stand behind Naruto, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Now E-dono, I believe it is time that we all prepare to leave. It is already quite late into the night and many of us need to prepare for long journeys or in some of our cases, neglected paperwork."

"Of course Hokage-dono, goodnight and too you as well Naruto-dono." Ē stated as he walked away from the duo. Hiruzen silently motioned for Naruto to follow him.

After walking to a quiet corner, Hiruzen turned to Naruto with a proud smile on his face. "I have been observing you throughout the night Naruto-kun, and I must admit that you have caught everyone by surprise. Many here expected you to be a gullible bosting rookie, not the humble but powerful young man you proved yourself to be. When my fellow Kage came to speak with you, I was about to intervene, but Jiriaya stopped me. I was angry at him at first, but by the way you handled them, I can already see you as a monster of a Kage, in both power and political acumen. Jiraiya was right to trust you, I am ashamed to admit that I didn't. I think that with a couple of years of experience, you would easily be able to become the Godaime Hokage."

"Thanks for your confidence jiji. I will strive to achieve your expectations." Naruto stated with a formal bow.

Hiruzen bowed in return before grinning, "Now are you ready for your speech?"

"What? What speech?" Naruto asked in panic until Hiruzen started chuckling. Naruto looked up confused before realizing that Hiruzen hand just pranked him. With a flat tone, Naruto stated, "Beware Jiji, I will get you back for this prank!"

Hiruzen felt a shiver run down his spine. He had forgotten for a moment who he was talking too. Now he would have to keep looking over his back for Naruto's retaliation. Faking a cough, Hiruzen stated, "Just as well, you should gather up your friends and head home for the night. All of you have missions and training in the morning."

Naruto nodded with a foxy grin before rushing to gather his friends. "You do know that you are a dead man walking, right Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen turned his head to see his old teammate, Koharu standing beside him. With a sigh, Hiruzen replied, "I realized it right after Naurto-kun stated his desire for revenge. I should have kept my childish urge in control."

"Watch your back Hiruzen. I will inform Homura and Danzo to stay far away from you until Naruto is satisfied." Koharu stated with a grin before leaving the old Kage to wallow in self-pity.

* * *

Team 7 and their Sensei were walking towards the Hokage Tower wondering why they were suddenly called during their scheduled training session. They were working on some team formations when Boar the ANBU suddenly appeared in the middle of Training Ground 7 with a scroll from the Hokage. The surprising thing was that the scroll had only a single line in it.

 _Team 7, you are hereby summoned to the Council Chambers immediately, by orders of the Hokage._

"What did you do now baka?" Sakura had asked as soon as Kakashi had finished reading the scroll.

"I swear I didn't do anything, yet!"

"Sakura, I know how this looks, but the message called all of us. It didn't specifically single out Naruto. So it is prudent of us to assume that we are being called in for a special mission. It does happen to experienced teams, though it is rare for freshly minted Genin being assigned such missions. Then again, looking at the current strength of our team, we already surpass the strength of most experienced Genin Teams past, present and future." Kakashi said not taking his eyes of his copy of the Icha Icha.

"It can also be a diplomatic mission. Naruto is a Daimyō and the face of Konoha. Sending him on diplomatic missions is very likely," Sasuke said with a frown. "What I am confused about is our whole team being called in. Usually only the representative is called along with the team meant to escort him or her."

"Maybe, we are being assigned as the escort while Naruto is the Ambassador?" Sakura said causing Naruto to suddenly stop with a nervous expression on his face. Seeing the expression, Kakashi and Sasuke chuckled.

"You afraid for such a simple mission when you can take down a team of elite Jōnin, a Rookie Jōnin, a Tokubetsu Jōnin who is known to be strong enough to easily rival some of our elite Jōnin and two elite ANBU?" Sasuke asked with a smirk causing Naruto to growl.

"Who wants to spend hours discussing treaties when I can be out there taking down enemies of Konoha, protecting innocents and training!" Naruto exclaimed as they reached the Hokage Tower.

"Now, now Naruto. There is no need to be irritable. We all get diplomatic missions from time to time. With you being the face of Konoha, you will now be taking the brunt of the major ones." Kakashi smirked in amusement as Naruto started cursing. Beside him, Sasuke and Sakura were chuckling and giggling respectively.

As Team 7 reached the Council Chambers, Naruto still cursing under his breath, Kakashi offered the scroll to the ANBU guarding the entrance. After the ANBU read the message before nodding to Team 7. The ANBU slotted the scroll into the door frame behind him. The door glowed green before a click was heard before the doors swung open.

"Please enter now before the door close again!" Team 7 nodded to the ANBU as they entered the room. Naruto having adopted a mask of calm.

"Ah Team 7 welcome. You all must be wondering why you have been summoned here. Well no matter. You will be informed of the reason soon." Team 7 looked up at the raised seat to their left in surprise. Though everyone knew of the seats reserved for the Daimyō and his advisors, no one expected the Daimyō to be present at a council meeting that didn't deal with war.

"Good morning Hideyoshi-dono. I didn't expect to meet you here today!" Naruto said with a formal bow.

"No need to bow Naruto-kun and no need for formalities outside a gathering of Daimyō and their representatives. Now come and sit beside me. It is the least honour I can accolade you as an allied Daimyō." Hideyoshi said causing the civilian councillors to start whispering amongst themselves. Some of them wearing pallid expressions. "Hiruzen, after this, you must sanction the Uzumaki Seat to be on my side and at the same level and with the same number of advisor seats."

"As you wish Hideyoshi-sama!" Hiruzen said as he stood up and bowed. At the same time, Naruto walked up the steps to the unoccupied seat beside the Fire Daimyō.

"Good now to the reason for the summoning. Naruto-kun, you asked me to be your proxy till you have grown accustomed to your newly revealed station. As I said, I am honoured to accept. My advisor old Cheng here has already compiled all the scrolls and documents pertaining to Uzu. At the end of the meeting, he will personally accompany you to your home and help you understand all of it. At the end of every month from now on, Cheng will come to Konoha and handover the new month's documents, which is unless you are occupied in a long term mission. In such a case, it will be handed over to the current Hokage."

"I understand and accept Hideyoshi jii-chan!" Naruto stated with a small bow of his head.

Hideyoshi smiled at Naruto before continuing, "Now as your stature as an unattached Daimyō of young age, you will be sent many marriage contracts with some Daimyō and nobles trying to get you to verbally agree to such a proposal. I advise you not to commit yourself to any such arrangement, all the while gracefully and politely decline or redirect the talks, unless you are interested."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding while sweat dropping in realization of what he had promised Shion in the future that no longer exits. "Now as the last known male member of the royal line of the Uzumaki, you are already considered the Clan Head and Daimyō of Uzu. That you already know. Now what you don't know is that a law was passed by the twenty third gathering of Daimyō some four hundred years ago that states that the male heir of a Royal or Noble Clan are required to have multiple spouses to repopulate their clan, if the clan is nearly extinct. All the Ninja Village has a similar law that applies to their Ninja Clans. Both of them are called the Clan Restoration Act. The difference between the laws is that the Daimyō's version requires the target to marry multiple spouses without any choice in taking only a single spouse. The shinobi version, the target have the choice to only take a single spouse. Interestingly you are applicable for both laws with the Daimyō version taking precedence over the shinobi version."

Naruto nodded with an eerily calm expression gracing his face. "So I have no choice in whether I take a single spouse or multiple?"

"No you don't, though you have a choice in who will be your spouse. There is no limit to the number of spouses but the minimum is three. Now I hope that you are wise in choosing. As a Daimyō, you have a duty to your people. Marrying the wrong woman may cause a political de-stability. Marriage with us royals isn't always about love, we marry out of duty and political advantages as well. Many will send theirs daughters after you due to the promise of power a marriage to your family will grant them." Hideyoshi said looking at the civilian council.

"I see, thank you for your warning. I will endeavour to keep on my guard."

"I would expect no less of you Naruto-kun. Now I must say that even I was surprised when I received multiple contracts from the minor Daimyō pertaining to you, as your proxy. All of them are with Cheng. He will show you all the ins and outs of the contracts. You must pay attention to the minor details that are usually hidden within the flowery language used in such contracts. Again Cheng will be able to help you. I also advise you to seek out trust worthy people to act as your advisors. They can be shinobi, samurai, monks or civilians. It all depends on you. In fact, Cheng was a samurai before he became my advisor. Now on to other things. Normally you wouldn't be able to become a Clan Head until you become a Chunin, but I think it prudent that you and young Uchiha Sasuke become Clan Heads as you two are the last loyal members of your Clans."

"Excuse me Daimyō-sama, but may I decline in taking my position as Clan Head until a time in the future when I am much more experienced and comfortable with my skills before taking up such responsibility?" Sasuke said getting a gasp from the Civilian Council.

The Daimyō stared at Sasuke with a blank look causing the boy to squirm. After a couple of minutes of silence, Hideyoshi hummed as he replied, "You are wiser than your age portrays. Most would have accepted the rank without thinking of the responsibilities that come with it. I will accept your reasoning, but know this, as soon as you feel ready, you may take up your position as Clan Head of the Uchiha even if you are not a Chunin. Too long has the Uchiha and Senju Clans been unrepresented. Hiruzen, I also order you to call in Tsunade so that she may be of use to Konoha again."

"As you wish Daimyō-sama!"

"Now, Hatake Kakashi."

"Yes Daimyō-sama?" Kakashi asked with a bit of nervousness seeping into his tone.

"You are not fulfilling your duty to your Clan. The Hatake Clan has been citizens of Hi no Kuni since the founding of the country some nine hundred years ago. Your clan has been retainers of my family, and you have served us well. It is truly disheartening that the last heir would see his clan pass from living memory instead of making sure that there are members to carry on the grand legacy of their ancestors. All of your ancestors must be rolling over in their graves."

Kakashi hung his head in shame but nodded in agreement that he was in fact disappointing his ancestors. "I understand Daimyō-sama. I will strive to better myself and make sure that my clan carries on."

"Now Haruno Sakura. I would like you to head a department I wish to personally fund. It shall deal with the training of competent Iryōnin so that every team shall at least have one capable of administering first aid on the field on fatal injuries so that the rest of the team has time to bring the fatally wounded member back for intensive care. I know that you are young, but your accomplishment in gaining full certification is enough for me to appoint you to such a position. You are welcome to keep doing missions with your team while leaving behind a suitable temporary head. Hiruzen make sure that Team 7 doesn't get any mission that will keep them away from Konoha for more than eight weeks."

Hiruzen and Sakura nodded in agreement causing the Daimyō to smile at them.

"Then I believe that we are finished with the meeting. Now before we all leave to attend to our duties, I have something to say…" Hideyoshi said as he looked around the room. Seeing everyone's attention on him, he continued, "Naruto-kun has decided to become the face of Konoha and along with it the Uzu Daimyō. That means that he is representing two countries. As we all know, Uzu is still feared for their Fūinjutsu skills. Now Konoha must owe up to the image Naruto-kun is portraying. We all must do our part. The Shinobi Forces must grow stronger, both individually and as teams. There are many who fail the Genin Test. Those who have adequate qualities, don't throw them away, send them for specialized training. Sakura-chan I advise that you look for candidates for your department from that pool along with the existing Genin and academy students. The civilians should leave their greedy nature behind or be executed for treason."

"What do you mean Daimyō-sama?" A fat man from the Civilian council asked with confusion.

Hideyoshi nodded to the advisor sitting behind him. The old woman nodded as she took out a bundle of scrolls and started reading.

 _500000 Ryo diverted from the annual funds sent for infrastructure development to the personal coffers of Councillor Tanaka and Councillor Hitomi._

 _1000000 Ryo diverted from the annual funds allocated to the betterment of the Shinobi Academy to the coffers of Councillor Jimmu._

 _750000 Ryo diverted from the annual Royal donations to the Orphanages in Konoha to the coffers of Councillors Hitomi, Hokuto and Takaboshi._

"Should I continue Daimyō-sama, the rest are all permutations of the Councillors already stated."

"No thank you, have Chiriku go ahead and reclaim the stolen money along with 20% interest per annum. The traitors will be executed if they protest. Hiruzen, it seems that you have become a bit soft in your old age. You can do what you want with these five traitors any way you wish. I give them to you. Make sure to dissolve the present council and make note of the possible new members and send it to me. Naruto-kun, I would like a favour of you."

"How may I be of service Jii-chan?"

"I would like you to look over any propositions the new Civilian Council hands to Hiruzen so that he doesn't have to waste time in looking over unnecessary ones. It will also be good practice for the future when you take full control of Uzu."

"As you wish Jii-chan."

"Also, I would like you to spend a few hours of your free time to restructure the Academy Curriculum. Your training has borne fruit to amazing results. I hope that you will be able to devise one that will allow the future Genin to be highly trained from the start, instead of the useless soldiers the present curriculum produces."

"I was going to suggest some changes to Jiji already. Now I will make sure that the academy graduates will at least be low Chunin level when they graduate. In fact I was planning to help my classmates and a select few Genin from last year to learn the Ninshu I used during the test."

"That's a fine idea Naruto-kun!" Hiruzen and Hideyoshi exclaimed at the same time before Hideyoshi continued, "If you think it possible, why not add a few Jōnin and ANBU to your plan."

"I was going to suggest that our Jōnin and ANBU start training more anyway. After the test, I realized that while all of them are fine shinobi, they have all become complacent. My goal is to make sure that all of our shinobi reaches their full potential. Many become lazy after reaching a certain level, which is most common among prodigies. Then there are those who aren't naturally talented but make do with intense training. With proper regimes, I am sure that Kotetsu, Izumo and Iruka-sensei can easily become Elite Jōnin, though in cases of the two former, they have become lazy while in the case of the latter, he has little time to do personal training with the amount of history he has to teach. If the academy was more practical oriented, all the teachers could train right beside their students. It would motivate both the students and the teachers to do better."

"Then devise such a routine Naruto-kun. I will make it so that all Shinobi are required to compulsorily follow the routine as much as possible." Hiruzen stated getting a nod from Naruto and the Daimyō. From the corner of his eye, Naruto caught the happy expression on Danzo' face.

"If you need help in devising the routines, I would like to offer my help. Though I was wondering will you teach Ninshu to a young boy who is my ward. Young Sai has so much potential." Everyone looked at Danzo with scepticism.

Naruto closed his eyes and activated his Sennin Mōdō before releasing it. Within that one moment, Danzo knew that Naruto wasn't trusting him as much as he would like. Then again, Naruto seems to have similar ideologies to himself, and he wouldn't trust Naruto much if their roles were reversed. Danzo saw Naruto opened his eyes with a stern expression in them, "I would gladly accept your help in devising the routines and I will accept him, but make no mistake, if I find him lacking, I will forbid him from learning anymore from me."

Danzo nodded in agreement, "He won't disappoint you, and I can assure you of that. He is one of the finest I have ever trained."

Hiruzen and the rest of the Shinobi Council looked startled at the revelation. The only thing that was going through their collective minds was what game these two were playing against each other.

"That's good, but I must ask, is he a shinobi of Konoha, or just an orphan you decided to favour?"

Sweat flowed down Danzo's neck at the question. "He was an orphan that caught my attention. I decided to take him in and train him."

"The why isn't he a shinobi of Konoha yet, unless you think he is not ready yet for his duties? After all if the roots aren't strong enough the whole tree suffers."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at Naruto's particular choice of words. At the same time a shiver ran down Danzo's spine as he looked at Naruto in shock. He understood the hidden meaning behind Naruto's words. I know that he is a member of your Root Forces, and I will be keeping a close eye on you and your men.

"I was planning to introduce him to Hiruzen for induction into Konoha Ranks in a couple of more years when I was sure that he was high Chunin material. But if you won't train him until he is a Konoha shinobi, then I can have him inducted within the week."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Then I want his full file. His abilities, his heritage, his mentality, everything!"

Hiruzen saw Danzo give a nervous nod and realized what Naruto was doing. He was making sure that Danzo took him as a threat, but only if Danzo stood against Naruto's plans for the betterment of Konoha.

Floating around the heads of the Shinobi Council was only a single thought, _'Don't piss of Naruto! If he can make Danzo sweat, they don't what Naruto setting his sights on them.'_

"Now if all of you have finished, I think we should absolve this meeting before some other discussion comes up. I think that all of us would like lunch before heading back to our duties." Daimyō said as he and his entourage stood up to leave. Following his example, the rest of them prepared to leave as well.

As Team 7 walked out of the room, Naruto addressed Kakashi, "Ne Kakashi-sensei, I think it is time you throw away that perverted book and look for a bride before Daimyō jii-chan forces you to marry someone of his choice!"

Beside him Sakura started giggling, while Sasuke smirked. Kakashi grumbled out, "Mind your own business you troublesome blonde!"

"I am sure that Naruto can convince Daimyō-sama to ban Icha Icha from Konoha. Make sure to get a life before Naruto does that." Sasuke said with the smirk still present on his face.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei, I am sure there is a perverted woman out there who likes Icha Icha just like you!" Sakura exclaimed with laughter.

"Not very likely!" Kakashi mumbled under his breath before disappearing in a shunshin.

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 _ **N/A**_

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Hiraishin = Flying Thunder God_**

 ** _Ketsueki Bunshin no Jutsu = Blood Clone Technique_**

 ** _Hakke no Fūin Shiki = Eight Trigrams Sealing Style_**

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 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	8. Chapter 7 - Revelations

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

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 **A/N: Many of you are asking if I will include Uzumaki forged weapons. To tell you the truth, you will have to keep reading to find out... ;)**

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 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them!:)  
Though it would have been better if I got more reviews.**

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 **A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO POST THIS CHAPTER AS A BONUS!**

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" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

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 **Chapter 7 – Revelations**

"So this is the Uzumaki Compound? I thought it would be more opulent, especially since they were a royal clan!" Ino muttered getting the attention of her Teammates and Sensei.

"Dad said that the Uzumaki never liked showing off. He said that Mito-sama was a great Fūinjutsu Mistress, but no one knew that until she helped Shodai-sama seal away the Bijū in their first Jinchūriki. After the fall of Uzu, she helped restructure the protection seals on the outer walls and the creation of the detection barrier around Konoha. Most of them were far superior to the ones that were around Uzu at the time of the fall, and let me tell you, each of the seals in Uzu were a masterpiece beyond the understanding of most Uzumaki themselves." Asuma said getting surprised looks from his Genin.

"Why haven't we learned of them in History classes in the Academy?" Shikamaru asked with a frown.

"That's because the Civilian Council decided that supressing the knowledge of the Uzumaki would prevent anyone from questioning their words about me." Team 10 looked ahead to see Naruto standing in front of them at the gates of the compound with a seal tag in his hand.

"Oh hello Naruto, what do you mean by that?" Ino asked with curiosity as her team groaned in annoyance.

"Simple, because I am the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, they didn't want anyone to know the truth of the sealing arts. If everyone knew the extent of seals, then they would question if I was the fox or not. Then there was the jealousy many of the Councillors had against my clan. Even if they never completely moved to Konoha, they were still a founder and we have quite a lot of real estate here. Most of the ones who were against me had been trying to buy up the shops under Uzumaki ownership, like the Golden Leaf Hotel. They couldn't because a law states that if an heir of a probably extinct clan wasn't found within sixteen years, all the real estate belonging to the clan would become state property while the Clan Scrolls would be given to a ninja clan with the closest blood connection, in this case the Senju. If no blood connection was found, the Clan Scrolls would be put up to auction so that other clans could bid for them while the forbidden techniques would be sealed in the Kage Vault along with the Heirlooms."

"That's one law I didn't know about, how did you come about it?" Everyone turned to see Hiashi standing behind Naruto along with Inuzuka Tsume and Aburame Shibi.

"It is an old law in existence since before the time of the village system. It was created under the command of the Council of Daimyō to prevent unnecessary bloodshed during the Warring Clan Period. I found out about it on the day after my evaluation. Advisor Cheng went over all the laws that are common among the nations and laws that particularly affect the citizens of Hi no Kuni and Uzu no Kuni."

The three clan heads nodded. All of them realized that after the creation of the villages, that law become a bit obscure. Hiashi looked at Naruto with an inscrutable expression as he asked, "How has your real estate been managed this long, shouldn't they be in ruins?"

"Luckily my father was an absolute genius with a proclivity for premonitions. He and mother hired an overseer to oversee all clan assets along with my father's personal assets, which are now clan assets as well. He did a fine job as well. At the moment most of my assets are returning a high premium of 150% to 300% the original investments. That's only the ones in Konoha. I still haven't the time to see the assets pertaining to Uzu that Hideyoshi-jiji has been overseeing."

"He must be a genius in business strategy and investments, may I ask who he is?" Shikaku asked as he walked up to the group loitering about the gate, along with Inoichi and Chōza.

"He will be here as well. He is the only person other than Jiriaya, Jiji, Hideyoshi-jiji, Sakura-chan and Konohamaru to have full access to my compound."

All the elders present understood the underlying threat. None of them had gained his trust yet, not even his final teammate and sensei. Not that any of them could blame him. "Anyway, you are the final lot to arrive, please put forward your right arms. I need to apply the key seal to allow you entrance into compound."

After everyone got their temporary keys into the compound, Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, to the surprise of the new arrivals. "He was a Bunshin!"

"That's right Asuma, did you expect him to wait here for the late arrivals leaving his other guests. It's not like he needed to be here, he didn't apply blood seals after all." Tsume said with a fanged grin. "Besides, why were you late? Not taking after Kakashi are you, especially since he was the first of us to arrive. I thought that Naruto was pulling a prank on us."

Asuma gave a nervous chuckle before saying, "I heard Kakashi complain that Naruto threatened him with a month of non-stop pranks and a ban on Icha Icha if he didn't get his act together. I am not surprised that he changed that easily."

"What does him being here has to do with blood seals and why are you making so much fuss about them? This seal doesn't look complicated." Ino asked with confusion.

"Kushina, his mother was my friend. She helped put up some new protections around the Inuzuka Clan Compound. They were blood based intruder detection seals connected to a large sealing array that engraved the blood connection of the intruder into a scroll placed in the array. If we checked the scroll, the intruders name would be found along with their blood relations. I don't know how, but the Uzumaki has some kind of master seal that has a record of all the clans present and past. She just modified a more complex version of the seal into a simple detection one that our own seal masters could maintain. To apply blood seals, he would have need to be present." Tsume said with a grin.

"So this one is a normal seal?"

"No it isn't young Yamanaka. It is more complex than any blood seal we know. I studied under Mito-sama in my youth. I had asked her about that seal. She had only smiled and said that it was far above what most Uzumaki can understand. When I asked why, she just said that even she has difficulty in understanding the seal. It was created by her grandfather during the Warring Clans Period to protect the whole of Uzushio. How the alliance of Iwa, Kumo and Kiri got through, we may never know but I expect that there may have been a traitor. The seal, if applied under force, would etch itself onto the target but when the target would try to pass through the barrier, they would be shocked into incapacitation, their chakra bound and finally their whole body would be placed in stasis. To simplify, the seal is semi-sentient it reads the emotions of the applier and applies the appropriate seals. If Naruto wanted, he could have make it permanent instead of temporary. The permanent seals would have ten triangles arranged around the spiral. None of ours have that."

"Thank you for the delightful lecture on the Uzumaki and their sealing abilities along with key seal Elder Danzo."

"Don't mention it Hiashi, it is good that the young one are finally learning about the Uzumaki. They truly were an amazing clan. It was a sad day when we heard about their demise. I was greatly angered when any mention of them were removed from the Academy Curriculum, even references to Mito-sama."

The clan heads along with Asuma narrowed their eyes at the old war hawk. They couldn't see why he would be praising the Uzumaki when in the past he would be extremely against any foreign allies, always expecting a betrayal.

"Hello, if I may have all of your attention please!" The voice of Hiruzen flooded the compound. The group hurried behind Danzo and appeared in the large back garden. The whole garden was filled with blooming flowers. Some of them were rare enough to catch even Ino's attention. On an ornate stage made of wood carved with seals stood the Hokage in his robes.

"It pleases me to no end to be able to introduce a new Clan Head. Normally the honour falls to the previous Clan Head, and in his or her absence, the Clan Elders. On the other hand, it also saddens me that the Clan Head is the only surviving member of his family known to us. Please welcome the 17th head of the Uzumaki Clan and the 15th Daimyō of Uzu no Kuni, Uzumaki Naruto. The only son of our beloved Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, the daughter of the Sandaime Uzukage and the great-nephew of Senju Mito-sama." Hiruzen stated as Naruto walked onto the stage wearing his ninja uniform without his usual haori. Instead he was wearing a sleeveless white cloak with gold piping. A large red Uzumaki Spiral was dyed into the back of the cloak. The inside was a royal purple with faint black seals drawn on the fabric.

As Naruto took centre stage, everyone became quiet. Along with the Clan Heads, Village Elders, Hokage, his friends, and the Anbu Commander, some delegates of many of the minor Daimyō were present. Around the gardens, many shinobi from allied villages were also there. From Suna, an old lady was present taking with a middle aged man bearing the crest of the Wind Daimyō. Many civilian businessmen were also present. Finally Madam Shijimi was sitting beside a young brunette girl about twelve wearing an expensive red kimono with black sakura petals embroidered on it. In the young girl's arms was the dreaded cat, Tora.

Naruto took a deep breath before starting to speaking, "I thank you for coming here today as I officially take up my position as the 17th Head of the Uzumaki Clan and the 15th Daimyō. It is a day of both happiness and sadness to me. I am happy that I will be able to officially represent my ancestors. I am sad as none of them are alive to see me bring the Uzumaki back to prominence, though I believe that the dead are always looking out for us. I hope that my actions up until now has made them proud and my future actions will make them prouder still."

An absolute silence filled the garden at that statement. After a couple of moments of silence, Naruto continued, "Everyone knows that the world is cruel. We humans have a habit of falling onto the path of darkness. Anger, revenge, grudge, jealousy and greed are some of sins that plague us. We don't want to let the past lie in the past and drag ages old grudges into the light of the present. I dearly hope that I never fall to the darkness as I once nearly did in the past. I hope to always keep on the brightened path that I now walk. The path I led the mighty Kyūbi no Yōkō onto. Hokage-sama tried to keep me from my heritage with the thought of protecting me from the cycle of hatred. He feared my parents enemies would be after my head. If everyone walked on the brightened path, then we would not have to fear such attempts."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Naruto's statement without even realizing. "As I said, I don't plan on submerging me into the sea of darkness that plagues the world. I realize that many of the neutral and enemies of Konoha and her allies are now wary of me. I can say without a doubt that I won't take up arms against anyone for past offenses, but if any targets those precious to me, my village, my countries, my clan, my allies and allies of my countries, even the innocent, I will not hold back. This I promise to everyone as a Shinobi of Konoha, as the Head of the Uzumaki Clan and the Uzu Daimyō."

As Naruto said that, everyone cheered, Sakura and Sasuke cheering the loudest. As the cheering came to an end, Naruto motioned for a man with long black hair held in a ponytail with a pair of katana and wakizashi strapped at his waist. He was wearing an expensive set of hakama and furisode that is common among samurai. "Now I like to introduce the chairman of the Naruto Banking Corporation, Hikifune Takagetsu-san. He is also my advisor on economic matters both related to the Clan and Uzu no Kuni as a whole. In my absence, he has graciously accepted to handle all civilian matters in relation to the Clan." Naruto stated as the man bowed with a small smile on his face.

"Forgive me for my insolence Naruto-sama, but why do you trust him to handle such delicate matters?" Everyone turned to see one of the gathered businessmen was the speaker. The man was short for his age, but looked pleasant enough in demeanour. Naruto's eyes narrowed for a moment before a foxy grin lightened up his face. "He is completely trustworthy. He did the same when my parents were alive and after their death as well. After all without my input, the Uzumaki and Namikaze finances should have been in ruins by now. It is only thanks to Takagetsu-san that they are still in good condition. In fact, it is in better condition than it was sixteen years ago, when he first took over from his predecessor. I have full confidence in him and his abilities in managing my civilian affairs."

"Thank you for the great honour Naruto-sama. I am truly sorry that I didn't recognize you before the revelation. I could have at least helped you by giving you access to your trust fund account."

"That is alright Takagetsu-san. As I said before, what is in the past, let it lie there. Now as this is a party, I will no longer keep you all from the festivities. Please enjoy!" Naruto said with a bow before stepping down from the platform with Takagetsu.

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"Did you know that Takagetsu-san was a retainer of the Uzumaki Clan?" Homura asked with confusion.

"No I didn't. It seems that Minato and Kushina weren't as trusting of us as they portrayed themselves to be." Koharu said with a frown. She couldn't think of a reason to cause such mistrust in them.

"It was the proper thing to do. You don't let financial information of your clan fall into enemy hands. Naruto is taking a great risk by introducing Takagetsu as his retainer for civilian and financial matters."

"You are right in that Danzo, but also wrong. Takagetsu is probably the best protected civilian other than the Daimyō of the five major countries. No one wants their financial information fall into enemy hands. The only one who would even dare to attack him would be Nukenin. Even the Villages themselves hold accounts in the Naruto Banking Corporation. If one attacks him to get the information on a rival village, all the neutral villages, the Daimyō and the businessmen would turn against the offending village. Naruto knows this. He is making a statement. He is challenging all of his enemies to ruin themselves by attacking Takagetsu."

"I didn't think of that, but what about black ops missions. The agent sent to get the information would be marked a Nukenin. A sacrifice for the greater good. It is something I would do." Homura, Koharu and Hiruzen narrowed their eyes.

"That's is possible, but the problem will still remain on how to use the gathered information without making it obvious of their ploy, unless they plan to financially cripple Naruto." Homura mused with a concerned expression.

"There won't be any way to spin the tale without incriminating themselves, and no one wants to anger the collection of Villages, the Damyō and the businessmen. They would ruin themselves as well. Only the most diehard haters would even think of sacrificing their families and countries. Something, even Ōnoki and Iwa aren't. Only danger is Orochimaru, but even he isn't stupid enough to get a larger target painted on his back. At this moment, only Konoha hunts him. If he moved against the largest banking corporation in the lands, he would instantly have all the villages, Daimyō and businessmen offer massive bounties on his head."

"You are right Hiruzen, I am just clutching at straws. Naruto's presence is way too vital to Konoha. I am just over thinking things." Danzo said getting nods from the rest of the elderly shinobi.

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"This is an interesting revelation Naruto-dono, I didn't realize that the Hikifune Takagetsu-dono was a retainer of the Uzumaki Clan."

Naruto turned around and grinned, "Neither did I know until he approached me the day after the revelation of my heritage. Until now, we have been using all the free time I have had to go through twelve years of financial and economic paperwork. Thankfully, Takagetsu-san was given the authority to do as required to maintain the assets. I just had to approve some of the pending decisions and review some of the older major decisions Takagetsu-san took. Nothing much with the help of Kage Bunshin."

"Ah, I see, but may I ask what the sudden reference to the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu had to do with paperwork?"

"Nothing much Hiashi-san. Kage Bunshin does allow memory sharing when the bunshin dispels. It was an invaluable tool when dealing with the paperwork. My progress in Ninshu also has its roots to the Kage Bunshin, though most won't be able to use it as an effective training tool."

Hiashi blinked in shock. While the Hyūga didn't learn any jutsu outside their own and the three academy standard ones, but they do keep up with the aspects of other jutsu. The memory passing function of the Kage Bunshin was something he didn't know. For the first time in his life he cursed his clan's views on the usage of foreign jutsu.

"That is interesting Naruto-dono. I must admit while I know a lot about the functioning of many jutsu, that particular aspect of the Kage Bunshin I was not knowledgeable about."

Naruto nodded when Danzo approached the pair with Hiruzen, Madam Shijimi and the young girl who carrying Tora. "Ah Naruto-sama, having a delightful conversation I see."

Naruto nodded to Danzo as he replied, "No more delightful than usual. If you will excuse me Hiashi-san."

"Of course Naruto-dono. I will leave you to your guests." Hiashi said before turning to the Danzo and his group, "Elder Danzo, Hokage-sama, Shijimi-sama, Kanna-sama, a good day to you. If you will all excuse me."

The four nodded to Hiashi in greeting and dismissal before turning to Naruto. "Good day Naruto-sama, I thank you and your team again for catching Tora for me the other day. This is my granddaughter Kanna-chan."

"Nice to meet you Kanna-san and please don't mention it Obā-sama. It was the mission and I would be loath to fail a mission as easy as capturing Tora without extreme duress. It would bring shame on both my honour, my Team's honour, my village honour and my Clan's honour."

"Still, I can't thank you enough for returning Tora to me unharmed and in the fastest time as well." Madam Shijimi said as she took Tora from her granddaughter's arms, but before she could get a proper grip on the tiger like cat, Tora jumped out of her owner's arms and nestled himself in Naruto's arms, all the while purring in contentment. "Interesting, you are the only one other than myself and Kanna-chan who Tora is allowing to hold him. Normally he would scratch anyone else."

"Must be because of my aura. As an accomplished sage, minor amount of senjutsu chakra is constantly flowing through me giving me a calming presence. He must like that. Then again he isn't a normal cat. Isn't that right Tora?"

Everyone raised an eyebrow in confusion to what Naruto said. While Tora is longer lived than most cats, he hasn't shown any special abilities. Hiruzen and Danzo, after a few moments widened their eyes in realization to what Naruto meant.

"What do you mean Naruto-sama?" Kanna asked with confusion as she watched Tora in Naruto's hands. She could have sworn Tora was shaking with nerves for a moment.

"What I mean is that Tora isn't a normal house cat. He is either a summons or a Nin-neko. A powerful one as well. I can sense his powerful chakra. So are you going to reveal yourself Tora?" Naruto said with a grin as he felt Tora tremble in his hands.

After what felt like an eternity Tora sighed before speaking up, "Damned Gama Sennin. You are just like Gamamaru-sensei. Never letting a cat have a bit of fun."

Everyone in the garden stared at the shocking revelation. The glass of wine in Kurama Hokuto's hands slipped and shattered grass letting the red liquid flow unfettered. Most of his generation were looking at the cat with gaping mouths while Kakashi glared at the cat with his single eye. Beside him Asuma was half frozen with cigarette in his hand.

"WHAT!" Gai screamed out in shock.

"This is not your true form is it? You really aren't a cat, are you Tora?" Naruto said causing the cat to glare balefully at the blonde. With a hiss he jumped down towards a relatively large free area of the garden before being engulfed in a burst of smoke. When the smoke cleared, instead of a cat with tiger patterns, a massive white tiger with ice blue eyes and dark gold markings.

"Happy now?" Tora asked with a rumbling tone. Almost everyone had a shiver run down their spines at his rumbling tone. Naruto nodded without showing any emotion. Sighing the tiger spoke again, "My true name is Byakko the Tora Sennin."

As everyone stared at the tiger in shock, Naruto nodded and asked, "What are you doing hiding?"

Byakko roared out in anger at Naruto causing everyone to take a step back from the enraged tiger. "How dare you insinuate I was hiding? I was merely using the transformation to easily keep an eye for a worthy summoner. It has been too long since the Tigers had a summoner. All the times I had Genin chase me down were tests. Until now, I have only found three worthy of being a Summoner. Unfortunately, one of them are a traitor to Konoha and we Tigers are too proud to serve a traitor."

"And the other two?" Naruto asked without fear as he walked closer to the tiger.

"Why do you wish to know?"

"I have no need to know but I am just curious who you found worthy."

Byakko closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "You were one but the Toads are higher ranked in the Summoning Realm for me to ask you to sign our contract without fear of offending. The other was until now worthless because of his mentality but thanks to you he now walks the right path. I was planning to approach him later and in private, but now will do. Uchiha Sasuke, step forward."

Everyone gasped in shock. No one expected Sasuke to be the potential summoner. When Sakura saw Sasuke was too shocked to move on his own, she gave Sasuke a light shove, causing the boy to stumble but approach the tiger in a daze.

"Normally we summons test our potential summoner before allowing them to sign the contract. In most cases, we give tests of physical and mental capabilities. This time as well I shall test you. I will allow you to sign the contract but only if you land a single hit on me. Know this, if you fail, your life is forfeit. You may decline the challenge and give up any hope of ever signing the Tiger Summoning Contract, but you will leave unharmed. What is your choice?" Byakko asked causing everyone to look startled. Everyone could understand that if he turned the test down, he would never get this chance again.

Sasuke glared at Naruto for a moment before turning back to Byakko with a determined expression. "I accept to take your test Byakko-sama, however I must say that it is not the time nor the place for a test. This is a party to celebrate my teammate taking his place as a Clan Head and Daimyō. Let us not spoil the event with a battle."

Byakko growled as he glared at Sasuke, but to the white tigers hidden joy, he didn't see fear in Sasuke's eyes. Only the truth of his conviction. Byakko nodded before saying, "If you asked for the test to commence immediately, then you would have already failed. The situation was meant to test your character and mentality. I was expecting you to insist on taking the test right now without considering the situation. Congratulations cub, you aren't an avenger anymore, seeking only power for your own sake. I shall approach you for the test in the future."

Sasuke nodded, "Thank you for the opportunity Byakko-sama!"

Byakko gave a dismissive nodded to Sasuke before turning to Madam Shijimi. "Thank you for putting up with my antics for the past twenty years. It is regretful that I didn't reveal myself to you, but if my presence had gotten out, your live would have been in danger from Ninja looking to prove themselves worthy of the contract. Please forgive me for the subterfuge. You were a caring and noble caretaker. Now my time to leave has come."

"Thank you for honouring me and my residence with your presence Byakko-sama. It is sad that you have to leave, but I understand your reason." Madam Shijimi said with a bow. Byakko nodded before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"Nothing is simple around you, is it Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen said with a chuckle. Causing the others to chuckle as well.

"What can I say Jiji? Even the gods are drawn to my magnetic presence." Naruto said with a joking grin just before a metallic clang was heard. Hiruzen looked down to see a senbon covered in poison lying on the grass after striking Naruto's cloak. At the same time the Taki Representative fell onto the ground, paralyzed, with seal markings forming on his face and visible portions of his arms.

"I was wondering when he would try to assassinate me." Naruto said with nonchalance while the others were still processing what happened.

When everyone finally processed what happened, Hiruzen turned with anger in his eyes. Glaring at the fallen Taki representative he shouted out, "Kakashi, Gai! Take that man to T&I and hand him over to Ibiki and Anko. Ibiki, you two have full reign to get all the information they can out of him. Any way you can."

"Hiruzen, what do we do with Taki? They had the audacity to try and assassinate Naruto-sama. I think that we need to show them what happens when they attack Konoha unprovoked!" Danzo said with all the assembled Konoha ninja nodding in agreement.

"I want you to make sure that Taki is completely wiped out Hiruzen. I will inform Hideyoshi-sama of this. He will support this, as will the council of Daimyō." Madam Shijimi said with anger clearly visible on her face.

"All of you are over reacting. Besides I doubt his is truly a Taki Ninja. After all this is an old friend wearing a false face." Naruto said as he walked towards the fallen ninja. Kneeling down, Naruto focused a bit of killing intent on the man as he placed a hand on the man's face before ripping it away. Under the false face, the face of a nukenin from Konoha was seen.

Tsume growled out in anger, "MIZUKI! HOW DID HE ESCAPE PRISON?"

"HOKAGE-SAMA! HOKAGE-SAMA! IT IS TERRIBLE! MIZUKI HAS ESCAPED!" An ANBU appeared amidst the group before he suddenly shouted out in pain as lightning flew over his body.

The ANBU Commander sighed in annoyance as Naruto placed the Key tag on the man causing his suffering to end. Sitting up he nodded to Naruto before trying to speak up again when he saw Mizuki held in Kakashi and Gai's arms.

"How did he get captured already?" The ANBU asked in shock.

"Of all the incompetent morons, they sent you with the message. I need to arrange a general assembly of all the ANBU soon." The ANBU commander sighed as Shikaku patted the man on his back. "Rat! Why did you breach the Uzumaki Compound Barrier? Didn't you read the memo?"

"Ah what memo sir?"

Growling the ANBU Commander said, "The memo that stated that anyone breaching the Uzumaki Clan Compound barrier would be in for a world of pain. If the key wasn't applied this quickly, you would have been dead moron!"

"Calm down, you are supposed to retire at the end of this month. Besides no harm was done. Plus this will serve as a lesson for all." Hiruzen said with a grin. Turning to Rat, Hiruzen asked, "Report!"

Quickly getting on his feet, Rat bowed, "About five minutes ago, I went down to take Mizuki his lunch when I came across Crane with her throat slit and Mizuki's cell empty. After alerting the Command to the situation, I came to notify you and the Commander of the situation sir!"

"And what of the investigation? Who leads it now?" Inoichi asked with a frown.

"Turtle from Team Gamma and Mitarashi Anko sir!"

"Go and tell Anko to hand over the investigation to Turtle. I need her to investigate something else. Inoichi, I would like you to replace Anko in interrogating Mizuki."

"As you wish Hokage-sama, but may I ask why?"

"All civilians and foreign dignitaries clear the area. Forgive me for breaking up this party, but as you can see, the situation has become dire. Genin other than Naruto-kun leave as well."

"No let the Genin stay. If you keep sheltering us, how are we to learn?" Naruto said with a stoci expression. Hiruzen looked surprised at Naruto's proclamation but nodded in agreement.

"You are right Naruto-kun. Genin stay."

After the compound was cleared of all civilians other than Madam Shijimi and Kanna and the foreign dignitaries, Naruto led the group of Elders, Clan Heads, ANBU Commander, the Genin, their Sensei, the Hokage and Madam Shijimi and Kanna to the formal sitting room. After everyone was situated and Naruto had a few clones serve refreshments, Hiruzen stood up and started pacing.

"Are you going to tell us what the matter is Jiji, or are you going to keep pacing?" Naruto asked with annoyance after few minutes.

Hiruzen stopped in his pacing as he sighed. "The false face that Mizuki was wearing was a technique my former student Orochimaru had created. No one but him know how to do it. Not even his former student Anko. Everyone knows that Mizuki was caught trying to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. No one but myself, Iruka-kun, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan and Ibiki knows that Mizuki was Orochimaru's henchman. When Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan took him down last time, he had used some kind of drug that Orochimaru had given him. The drug temporarily mutated Mizuki and gave him immense strength and speed. At that time, I just thought that Mizuki had gotten in contact with Orochimaru outside Konoha. Now…"

"Now you believe that it was Orochimaru who freed and sent him? You believe that he is still around?" Naruto stated as he closed his eyes and concentrated. Orange eye shadow formed around his eyes for a moment before fading as Naruto opened his eyes. "There aren't anyone in Konoha who has the required level of chakra to be Orochimaru. He must have another agent hidden amongst us."

"I would think it wise to assume that as well. Probably assume that there are more than one agent." Aburame Shibi said getting a nod from all the seasoned ninja.

"Then we need to find them and eliminate them as soon as possible."

"No we shouldn't eliminate them Hiashi-sama. We should tag them and start giving them misinformation. Orochimaru wouldn't be alerted that his spies has been caught and we can take advantage of Orochimaru's arrogance." Sakura said getting a nod of approval from some of the elder ninja.

"That is a good idea Haruno-san. For your age, you have quite the strategic mind." Koharu said with a proud grin.

"Why take the chance of them figuring it out?" Kanna asked with curiosity.

"Simple really, when they discover the subterfuge, we end them. The Uzumaki has a seal that is undetectable and can be keyed to a single person. I will key the seal to Jiji and when their usefulness has ended, he can quietly dispose of them. The seal will cause their hearts to suddenly stop, as if they had a heart stroke." Naruto stated with a vicious grin.

Kanna nodded in understanding. "Then they won't be a risk at all?"

"No they won't."

"How are you going to place the seal without them knowing Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grinned, "Simple Jijia, we invite the idiots to my training sessions and hide the seal within the restriction seals that will be mandatory for every participant to have."

"What training sessions do you mean Naruto-sama?" Kurenai asked with confusion.

"Oh right, you weren't there. I was planning to teach a handful of Jōnin, ANBU and Genin the ways of elemental Ninshu. An experiment of mine and the Hokage that Hideyoshi-jiji approves. I plan to use that as a cover."

"But first we have to find them Naruto. Don't get ahead of yourself." Sasuke said with a frown.

"I am sure that the ANBU can find them. If it takes too long. I will join myself. Their malicious intent won't remain hidden from my sensory abilities." Everyone looked surprised at that declaration. No one realized that Naruto's ability to feel emotions could be used like that.

"That's a unique use of your sensory abilities but I digress, we should let the ANBU handle the situation. I am sure that they can find them within the month. Besides if you keep doing their job, they would become lazy." Hiruzen said with a grin at Shikaku.

* * *

Naruto stood in the middle of the large field on Training Ground 43. All around him were his present students. Some of them wearing ANBU uniform but without the masks. Others were normal Jōnin, with a couple of Tokubetsu Jōnin and Chunin thrown in. Finally, behind him were the chosen Genin Teams, Teams 7, 8, 9, 10 and a newly instated Genin Sai.

All of the assembled ninja were looking confused. Most of the seasoned ninja were ordered by the Hokage to be here. The Genin were brought by their sensei. The only ones without the slightest hint of knowledge were the ANBU, Tokubetsu Jōnin and Sai.

"So why are we all here?" A Tokubetsu Jōnin wearing a bandana and chewing a senbon asked in confusion. Naruto's eyes narrowed along with Kakashi's, Gai's, Asuma's and the brown-haired ANBU Yamato.

"Wait a moment Genma. Hokage-sama is supposed to give a speech to explain why we were called here." Anko said with chewing on a stick of Dango. "Do you know anything Kurenai?"

"I do, but you have to wait for Hokage-sama Anko." Kurenai said with a grin causing the purple haired snake mistress to huff in annoyance. Before she could start pestering the Genjutsu Mistress, the Hokage appeared beside Naruto in a puff of smoke.

"Ah, all of you are already here. Good! Now many of you are wondering why you are here, correct?" Hiruzen asked getting nods from the assembled crowd. With a nod, Hiruzen continued, "As you all know, Naruto-kun here has learned the lost art of elemental Ninshu used by the Rikudō Sennin and the first Shinobi. He has been gracious enough to offer the knowledge to selected members of Konoha. You are the chosen ones. I and Naruto-kun went through all of your files and psychological analysis reports to choose the ones with the best chance to quickly learn the skills. Well that excludes the Genin, but they were chosen for other reasons. Know this, all of you should feel highly honoured to be selected for this. Naruto-kun has decided to make Ninshu an Uzumaki Clan art. All of are being taught it with the belief that it would strengthen Konoha, but also with the belief that you won't teach the art without the permission of the present Uzumaki Clan Head. I, myself will be joining all of you in this, specializing in Fire. Any questions?"

The assembled crowd looked around before a female ANBU hesitantly spoke up, "Hokage-sama, are we going to be free to choose our elements, or have they been already been chosen?"

"That is a good question. Sorry to say, we don't have a choice in elements. It is connected to our personality. At least that is what I have come to understand form how Naruto-kun and Gamamaru-sama explained Elemental Ninshu." Hiruzne said causing the ANBU to nod in understanding.

"Hopefully, your personality will match the element you want. Very few have the personality traits to have access to more than one." Naruto said with a sad frown.

"Can we learn an element outside the one our personality allows?" Ibiki asked with curiosity.

"I am doing all four elements. Do you think I have such a colourful character?" Naruto said with a laugh causing Ibiki to shake his head in amusement. "My elements are Air, Earth and Water. Granted I have three out of four but that is something very rare. I have to work four times harder to master Fire. Thanks to my liberal use of Kage Bunshin, I am able to handle the training. Mastering your own element may take years depending on your natural ability to connect to the element. So you can understand how difficult it must be to learn an element that isn't your own. Besides I am a Sennin. I can easily connect with nature, which includes all the elements."

"How many kage Bunshin do you use Naruto? Can we use it for our training?" Ino asked with excitement.

"I use about two to three thousand clones at most. Anymore and Kurama won't be able to heal the strain. Even Jiji can't create more than thirty clones without fainting from chakra exhaustion. Even then he won't be able to use more than ten to train, or the memory feedback will kill him."

"What do you mean Naruto? How can a clone return its experience back to you?" Shikamaru asked with a frown. Around the clearing all the assembled shinobi above Genin level and Sai frowned at the revelation.

Hiruzen sighed before explaining, "Let me explain Naruto-kun. The Kage Bunshin was created by the Nidaime to be a tool for espionage. It was termed a kinjutsu for the chakra requirement and the memory feedback. The Kage Bunshin has a small portion of the creator's essence within them. When the clone dispels the essence returns to the creator with the experience. The experience is anything related to memory, both active and passive. Other than this I won't explain more."

"What do you mean by passive memory?" Kiba asked with confusion.

"Muscle memory Kiba. Something we don't think about. Instincts are also passive memory." Ino explained in an offhanded comment.

"So can we use it to train?" Kiba asked with excitement.

"Sorry, but the Kage Bunshin training is inaccessible to anyone under High A-Rank chakra reserves. That would exclude everyone other than Kakashi, Gai and Yamato." Hiruzen said with a stern expression causing nearly everyone to nod with sad acceptance.

"Now be ready find out your elements. Place a drop of blood on this seal that Gamamaru-sensei and I created." Naruto said as he unsealed a massive stone plate with the four elemental symbols engraved at cardinal points. A large Fūinjutsu shiki was visible in the middle of the plate with thin lines connecting to the elemental symbols.

"Why are there four elemental symbols?" Sai asked with confusion.

"Because in nature, there are only four elements. Other are just a variation of a primary element. Take lightning for example. It is just a variation of fire." Naruto explained with a grin. "Then there are the Elemental Kekkai Genkai like Hyōton. It is considered a merging of Fūton and Suiton. In Ninshu, it is under water."

Sai nodded in understanding when Shikamaru inquired, "Does it work similar to chakra paper? And are we going to be able to use Kekkai Genkai?"

"The tablet doesn't work similar to Chakra Litmus. It tests the blood for the elemental affiliation. Our personalities are connected to a certain degree to genetics. Each family has a certain common personality traits. The seal checks the personality traits through genetics to show your element. Now to answer your second question, that depends on your mastery. If you are a water bender, with proper mastery you can manipulate ice, transform water to ice or vice versa. Ninshu is the art of connecting, understanding and bending the elements to your will."

"I see. That's interesting, so what do you think my element will be?" Shikamaru asked getting a chuckle from Naruto.

"Water. You are lazy, but can go with the flow when motivated." Shikamaru nodded but grumbled of irritating happy-go-lucky blondes.

"Alright everyone, line up. Genin wait at the side. Let the seasoned Ninja find their elements first." Naruto said with a grin causing the Genin to mumble.

Hiruzen walked forward, "Let me demonstrate the use." Hiruzen bit his thumb before letting a drop of blood fall onto the seal. The blood was absorbed before the Fire symbol glowed with red light. "As you can see, it is very easy to use. Don't channel any chakra into the blood. It will mess with the results."

"Jōnin sensei first!"

One after other the four Jōnin Sensei walked forward with Kakashi leading the group. Each of the sensei dropped blood and got their result. Kakashi had the Water and Fire symbols glow. Kurenai had water. Gai's blood caused the Air and Earth symbols to glow, while Asuma's was Earth.

"Good next up the ANBU." Naruto said as the Jōnin sensei retreated, Gai hesitated before walking to stand beside Naruto. "Can I help you Gai-sensei?"

"Why is Lee here Naruto-kun? He can't use chakra outside his body."

"That's alright. He won't need to use chakra outside his body. Ninshu requires the user to internally manipulate their chakra to forge a connection with the elements. The rest is up to his will to bend the element." Gai nodded with a grin as most of the ANBU had finished their checks.

"Hello Naruto-kun." Naruto nodded with a smile at Yūgao as she placed a drop of blood on the plate. The Water symbol glowed in response. Yūgao nodded with a satisfied smile. "I expected it to be water. Hope you are as good a teacher as you are a Shinobi."

Yamato was the final ANBU to come up. He placed his blood on the seal causing the Earth symbol to glow.

"Alright now the Tokubetsu Jōnin please." Naruto called out causing Anko to saunter up with a grin. Placing her blood on the plate caused the Air and Fire symbols to glow.

"Ah… look at that. Air and Fire!"

Naruto just shook his head in exasperation. It had to be the two most destructive elements that Anko had. After Anko, Ibiki came up. He turned out to be Fire. Following him was Genma with Fire as well. Finally Hayate was found to have Water.

"Chunin up next!" Naruto said with a foxy grin directed to the three chunin present.

"I don't know why you chose me Naruto. It's not like I am going out on missions." Iruka said with a grin as he tested himself. To his surprise, he came out with Earth.

"Earth huh, that truly suits you Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said as Izumo tested himself.

"Air huh, that's why you can't sit still Izumo!" Kotetsu said with a teasing grin as he tested himself only to come out with Fire.

"That's good guys. Your elements complement each other. As the first line of defence, that is very good!" Naruto said with a laugh getting laughs from everyone present. "Now Iruka-sensei, you asked why I chose you. That's because you going to start the Academy Students on the basics of Ninshu from the next semester. How can you teach something you don't know?"

"What do you mean Naruto?" Iruka asked with a frown.

"I was given authority to restructure the Academy Curriculum. You will get the revised Curriculum in a week. I decided to include the basics of Ninshu as a class while reducing the amount of history we have to study. I am also including a special course in Iryo Jutsu and Fūinjutsu. I am also reinstating the portions of history the Civilian Council had removed." Iruka looked surprised but nodded in agreement.

"Finally! I can send my studens off without fear of their imminent deaths" Iruka said with a grin.

"Meet me tomorrow at Ichiraku's for Lunch. We need to discuss something about the curriculum." Iruka nodded as Naruto turned to the rest, "Alright now everyone follow one of my clones. Each of them are going to focus on a single element. Those with multiple elements, choose one and follow the designated clone."

Everyone nodded and chose to follow the clone designated with their element. "Now Genin! Most of you don't have the Chakra Reserves and Control to be able to connect to the elements yet, neither do you understand your element or elements as the case may be for some of you."

"What do you mean Naruto?" Ino asked with anger. "Are you saying that we are weak?"

"Truthfully, at the moment all of the Genin excluding Team 9, Sakura and Sai are weak. Most of you are barely Genin level. Either due to laziness or due to poor teaching or due to no initiative on your own part. Sasuke is near High Genin, so technically he should be able to connect to his element, but his control isn't ready. Other one is Lee. While he can't use chakra externally, he doesn't need to. He has enough training for the control needed to link with his element."

"What do you mean Naruto-sama? Lee is the dobe, granted he has trained himself to monstrous proportions, be he is still the loser. He is fated to always remain a loser!" Neji arrogantly declared with a glare.

"Wow! That was my future if I kept on the path of the avenger, wasn't it Naruto?" Sasuke asked with an infuriating smirk directed at Neji.

"Be silent oh Great Last Loyal Uchiha! Go and make comments to your dead clan!" Neji snarled in anger but before he could continue, he started choking. Clutching his throat, Neji desperately tried to draw in a breath. Everyone watched confused at first before Sakura's eyes widened in realization.

Sakura turned to Naruto and saw the boys hand raised at Neji, his hand was as if clutching a throat. Before the girl could say anything, Naruto spoke up, "That is but a small portion of the power I am going to teach you. It is more powerful than Ninjutsu in the hands of a true master. Telekinesis is a sub art of Air Bending. With the simple application of thought, a master air bender can kill you. Does your eyes protect you Neji?"

Naruto dropped his hand causing Neji to drop to his knees desperately drawing in air into his lungs. "Well Neji, I am waiting?"

Neji looked up to see the cold blue eyes of Naruto staring into his pale lavender ones. Shakily standing up he glared at the blonde in defiance. "I didn't even have the Byakugan active. How is it supposed to protect me if it isn't active?"

"That's your comeback? The Byakugan wasn't active!" Naruto taunted causing Neji to grit his teeth in anger. "You are blinder than I thought. Be gone from my sight. You are hereby dismissed form Ninshu Training."

"Na-naruto-sama don't ta-take his words to heart. Neji-niisan has had a bad li-life! Please for-forgive him!" Hinata requested with a formal bow. Neji snarled at Hinata but kept quiet.

"Do you think that he is the only one who suffered? Then what about us Jinchūriki and war orphans? What about Sasuke? What about Lee?" Naruto asked with a cold tone. "Neji had a family to be there for him. He had a heritage to be proud of. He has access to his chakra. First two, I didn't have growing up. The last, Lee doesn't have. Sasuke had the three, but lost the first. To his own blood as well. Tell me, why I should care for an arrogant teme!"

Hinata kept her head bowed and listened to what Naruto said. It was true, she had to admit. Neji wasn't the only one to suffer. "We shouldn't let our past dictate our actions in the present. Sasuke used to let the past direct him. He changed in a very small amount of time. I gave Neji a chance to change. He decided to spit upon that chance when he befouled the dead. He forgot that it wasn't only Sasuke who had lost his clan. So had I. I may have not known my clan like Sasuke had, but their loss is still painful. How would Neji feel if we befouled his parents?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Neji snarled clutching his fists as veins became visible on his face.

"Unlike you, I wouldn't insult the dead, even those who were traitors and enemies. Pain and suffering are just part of life. Without them we wouldn't understand pleasure and happiness. It doesn't give us the right belittle others and their heritage."

"Naruto-kun, I know that Neji can be un-youthful but please give him a second chance. I promise that he can change!" Lee exclaimed with a bow.

"Look at them Neji. You belittle them, yet they protect you. You who thinks himself as strong, is in fact the weakest amongst us. I shall give you a second chance if you can survive one of my weaker attacks. You can use anything in your arsenal for the objective."

Everyone looked surprised at Naruto's proposition. Neji gained a smirked as he stared at Naruto with his Byakugan. "I accept your proposal Naruto-sama." Neji said with a mocking bow.

"Good, now don't blink everyone!" Naruto exclaimed as he snapped his fingers. At the same time, Neji suddenly collapsed in a faint. Everyone looked startled at the event.

"Did you use his a genjutsu Naruto?" Shikamaru asked with confusion.

"N-no he didn't. The-there were no visible at-attacks made, Naruto-sama's chakra sp-spiked at the snap of his fi-finger, then Neji-niisan fainted!" Hinata exclaimed to the shock of everyone.

Kiba and Ino were the first to react. "What did you use?"

"Advanced Air Bending!" Naruto said with foxy grin causing nearly everyone to groan out in annoyance. Only Sai and Sakura kept quiet. "Sakura, I struck the pressure point on his neck to induce a death like state. I think it best that you drop him off at the Hyūga Compound and tell Hiashi-san that I will be coming to explain the situation with Neji this evening."

Sakura nodded as she picked up Neji and vanished in a shunshin. "Don't worry Hinata, Lee. I will allow Neji to learn Ninshu if he still wants to. Finally, Sai. I will be testing you on your present skills. The rest, follow this clone."

A clone formed beside Naruto and was about to lead everyone other than Sai away when the pale skinned Genin asked with an emotionless tone, "What did you really do Naruto-sama? Was it similar to how you choked Neji?"

Naruto nodded, "That's right Sai. I used Telekinesis to manipulate the air particles around his neck into an invisible senbon. From there, it was easy to prick the pressure point."

"Then shouldn't Hinata-sama been able see the senbon?"

"Byakugan, Sharingan, any dōjutsu really only sees chakra. Ninshu doesn't need the element to be infused with chakra. The internal manipulation of chakra is the maximum involvement that happens to forge the link with the element. The rest is manipulating the element by using our will. Can you see air Sai?"

"No we can't Naruto-sama. So does that mean no one can sense the attacks from Ninshu?"

"Not quite Sai. Any Sage should be able to feel the flow of natural energy that happens when an element is bended. Other than that, no normal sensor can sense a Ninshu attack. Although instinct can save you from an attack, if honed enough. That's the reason I am having our fellow Genin go through physical training first. Most bending skills are strongly connected to unique taijutsu styles. I am going to have Gai-sensei help me and Gamamaru-sensei in developing the completed styles for each element."

"Then the advantage of Ninshu is that it can be used in all ranges?"

"That's right Sai. Now let's head to Ichiraku for some lunch. All of you follow me as well. I will foot the bill. You will all need the energy for the physical. I shouldn't have tried to send you to training without the food." Naruto said getting a groan from Ino and Tenten.

"Great the slave driver is awakening in him again. Better get your fill guys, you will need it. I can guarantee it!" Sasuke said causing most of the Genins faces to pale in realization. "Naruto, does it have to be ramen?"

"Actually, ramen is good just before heavy training." Choji said as he placed his empty packet of potato chips in his pocket. "It is rich in carbohydrates and with proper vegetables, fish and meat added, it is quite healthy to have."

Naruto beamed in happiness just before Choji said, "But the oil is unhealthy, so trying to survive on ramen alone is not wise."

Naruto's shoulders fell but he quickly perked up and said, "Hey Choji can you convince Sakura-chan to increase my weekly quota of ramen? She barely lets me eat five bowls a week!"

"No thank you. I want to live. There is no way I am going against a medic's proclamation!" Choji said with a grin causing Naruto to grumble before turning around and leaving the field.

* * *

"Hey Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-neesan, get ready to cook a feast! I brought friends!" Naruto said as he took a seat on one of the stools.

"Hello Naruto-kun and friends. Please seat down. I will be taking your orders as soon as I find that pesky note pad. Dad seems to have misplaced it again." Ayame said with a grin.

"No I didn't! It should be under the counter. Hello Naruto-kun. The usual? Hey wait, you aren't trying to dismiss Sakura-chan's orders are you?" Teuchi said with a suspicious look as he surveyed the gathered crowd for the pink haired iryonin.

"Not at all! I still have my five bowls for this week!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Alright, but if you don't tell Sakura-chan about this little outing, I will ban you for the next month. I want my stall standing thank you."

"No need to fear Teuchi-san. I am already here. Guys, place your orders and let's head back to training!" Sakura said as she looked at Ayame. "The usual Ayame-san."

"An Ichiraku Special Vegi Ramen coming up along with five bowls of Naruto Special. What will the rest of you have?"

"What is this Naruto Special?" Ino asked with curiosity.

"That is the healthiest Ramen for heavy training Ninja we created for Naruto-kun some time ago. It contains the perfect balance of carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables. I can guarantee that you won't gain weight if you work out."

With that declaration, all of the assembled Genin started giving different amounts of the Naruto Special. After giving his order last, Kiba asked, "Why is it called Naruto Special?"

"That's because he is our best customer and the record holder for eating the most bowls at one sitting as well. Forty large bowls to be exact."

"How is that possible?" Ino muttered to herself as she waited for her order.

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

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 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

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 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	9. Chapter 8 - Hello Waterfall!

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

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 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them!:)  
**

 **Though it would have been better if I got more reviews.**

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" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

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 **Chapter 8 – Hello Waterfall!**

"Ah Team 7 this is Shibuki. He is the present Leader of Takigakure no Sato." Hiruzen said as Team 7 and their Jōnin Captain walked into the room. Inside, Hiruzen was sitting on the couch that was placed in one side with a small coffee table in front of it. Sitting on the couch placed at a right-angle to the one Hiruzen was sitting was a black haired man about Kakashi's age wearing the uniform of a Taki Ninja.

All members of Team 7 nodded their heads to Shibuki before turning their attention towards Hiruzen. The aged Hokage took a sip from his teacup before speaking, "Shibuki came here with an interesting proposal. I don't know if you are aware, but the Nanabi no Kabutomushi is in Taki. Ever since Hashirama-sensei spread out the Bijū among the nations, it has been there. Until now, none of the Jinchūriki have ever been treated well, even though Taki has never faced the wrath of one."

"So let me guess Jiji, the present Jinchūriki is ostracized for a burden they didn't want?" Naruto asked with a cold tone causing a shiver to run down Shibuki's spine.

"That's right Naruto-kun. Young Fū is somewhat like a surrogate sister to Shibuki. He came to us with hopes that you can help her overcome some issues she has been having after mastering the third tail. That is a mission for Konoha. He also wishes to speak with you privately as the Uzumaki Clan Head. From what I could gather, he wishes to procure the skills of the Uzumaki. If Naruto accept Shibuki's request, then the parameters of the Mission will change from Escort Shibuki back to Taki and help young Fū to include protection detail for Naruto while he does the second mission. Naruto please remain behind, the rest of Team 7 accompany me to the adjacent room while Shibuki and Naruto talks over the details of the second mission." Hiruzen said standing up with an imperious demeanour before walking out of the room with the rest of Team 7 walking behind him.

Naruto and Shibuki stared at each other for a few moments before Naurto occupied the recently vacated couch. With a nod, Naruto motioned for Shibuki to speak.

"A good day to you Naruto-sama. I wish to procure your clans skills in Fūinjutsu to check the seal on Fū. The last of Taki's Fūinjutsu Masters were killed on a mission recently. I need someone to check her seal, as I fear that the last use of four tails worth of Nanabi's chakra may have corroded it. Along with that, I would like you to check the seals that help us maintain our secrecy. Taki would be happy to pay whatever you want for the job!"

Naruto silently pondered for a moment before speaking, "So let me get this straight, you want me to check her seal along with the seals Senju Mito gifted your village as you fear that they may have been damaged and you have no Fūinjutsu experts at the moment, and you are willing to pay any price I would declare?"

Shibuki nodded in agreement with everything Naruto said until the price for the job came up. With how Naruto stated it, Shibuki realized the major loophole he left. With an embarrassed smile Shibuki corrected, "Any price within reason."

Naruto nodded with a grin, "New to politics?"

"Yeah, I became the leader a couple of months ago. I had trained for a long time under father, but taking the seat is still difficult, especially since I don't have the active experience in politics and business deals."

"Lucky for you, I am not a malicious person. With the loophole you left, I could have asked for the destruction of Taki and you would be honour bound to follow through or be branded as honourless fools. Anyway, I accept the job. The standard price we asked for routine maintenance of a single seal of the calibre you want me to check is equivalent to an S-Ranked Mission price, though it may increase if you want changes done to the seals. Though I am willing to give you a discount as the first customer since the re-emergence of the clan. You will only have to pay the cost of an A-Ranked mission per seal. Though the Jinchūriki's seal will still need SS-Rank pay as is the price."

Shibuki rubbed his chin as he thought of the price Naruto asked before nodding in agreement. "I agree with your price Naruto-sama. The security of my village is at stake. I shouldn't be a cheapskate about price in such situations."

Naruto nodded as he unsealed a blood seal contract and filled in the particulars for the job and the price before placing a drop of blood on one of the seals at the bottom of the document. Before placing another drop on another seal. Shibuki watched amazed as the seals glowed red before vanishing leaving behind the final seal.

"Place a drop of your blood on the final seal to finalize the job." Naruto said as he turned the document to Shibuki. The leader of Taki nodded as he quickly went through the document before placing the requested drop of blood on the seal. To his surprise, right after the seal vanished, two identical copies of the document appeared atop the contract in a puff of smoke.

"What happened?" Shibuki asked with confusion.

Naruto chuckled and said, "The contract makes two copies when the job is finalized. There are hidden seals engraved on the document that makes it possible. All three copies are tamper proof. Keep the lowest one, the other two are meant for the Uzumaki Archives and the Clan Member who is meant to do the work, which in this case is me." Shibuki nodded and returned the top two copies to Naruto.

"I plan to leave early in the morning tomorrow Naruto-sama. I hope that isn't a problem with you?"

"Not at all Shibuki-san. I will inform my team. Are you returning to the Golden Leaf?"

"That's the plan. It is already late in the evening, the sun has nearly set. I want to make sure that I am rested for the journey back. After Takahito died, we have become a bit paranoid."

Naruto nodded with a sad smile, "I understand. The ANBU will escort you back. Have a good night Shibuki-san."

"To you as well Naruto-sama." Shibuki said as he walked out of the room and motioned for the ANBU standing outside to lead him back.

* * *

"So did you take the job Naruto?"

Naruto turned his head and smiled at the source of the voice, which turned out to be Sakura. The pink haired medic was sitting on her favourite red cushion drinking a cup of herbal tea. "Sure did, though I didn't expect a Clan Job so soon."

Sakura hummed as she placed her cup on the small table in front of her and poured another cup for Naruto, who scrunched up his nose in disgust but without prompting, sat down on the orange cushion opposite his teammate and took the cup of tea before taking a small sip. Surprisingly, he didn't taste the expected bitter taste the previous cups of tea held.

Seeing the surprised look, Sakura giggled before saying, "Doesn't taste like you expected, did you?"

Naruto shook his head as he placed the cup on the table. "It was not bitter like I expected. I thought it was medicine that would help with the malnutrition?"

"It is, but not the kind I gave you last time. The previous tea has run its course. In the past two months, your body has recovered faster than expected, but I believe that Kurama helped in that aspect. This one is to help get the most nutrition from the smallest of intakes. Tsunade-sama and I were experimenting with it right before Pein attacked. It was showing great results. That's why I am also taking it. It will help us regain our physical forms faster and help maintain it with less ration as well."

Naruto shrugged before saying, "This is the better tasting medicine I have taken yet."

"It should be. It is a blend of medicinal herbs with some of the most exquisite tea from Cha no Kuni. Originally it wasn't this good tasting. After coming back, I had been experimenting with different blends to make it this good, especially for you since you tend to complain against the taste of the medicinal tea." Sakura said with a small smile getting a large grin from Naruto in return.

"Thanks Sakura-chan! You are awesome. If it was Ba-chan, she would have force-fed me the yucky tasting tea!"

Sakura shook her head with fondness before her face hosted a serious expression, "That isn't true, besides you didn't answer my question."

Naruto nodded, "I accepted the job. It was a routine Seal Maintenance job. I have already learned enough to do that. I will have to look at Fū's seal as well. Shibuki fears that the seal is degrading. We know that isn't the case, as you had yourself seen her in action two years from now, but there may be changes in this timeline."

"That is true. So much has changed this time around, yet some things are still the same. Are you planning to give Chōmei her memories when you check up on the seal?"

"That's the plan. It will be easier than sneaking into Taki, but I didn't expect the mission to escort Shibuki already. We haven't been to Nami yet. It is still nearly a month away before Tazuna comes to Konoha."

Sakura nodded in agreement before saying, "That's true, but he may have been here due to the death of his representative. He just used this opportunity to come here earlier. Then again, he may have ulterior motives. He is the leader of a powerful village. Taki may be small, but no invasion against it has ever succeeded unless a former Taki Ninja was involved."

Naruto nodded before his eyes widened in shock, "Sakura, I think that there is a seal that can be added to Taki's defences that would incapacitate Kakuzu and any such traitors."

Sakura looked pensive before saying, "Like the one surrounding the compound?"

"Exactly like the one surrounding the compound. Just have to tweak it a little to increase the size of the barrier to encompass the whole of Taki. With proper tweaks, we can even have all of Konoha under that seal."

"That's all well and good Naruto, but why give it to Taki? They may be allies at the moment, but that can easily change in the future."

"The seal has some weaknesses. Tobi would easily be able to bypass it. The seal need the target to touch the barrier to start tracking. Then there is the problem of it not extending underground. Zetsu can bypass it as well. I plan to give that version to Taki. It would protect Fū as long as she isn't kicked out of Taki. I will leave a loophole to monitor the situation."

Sakura nodded in agreement before saying, "Why not ask for Fū and the Nanabi as payment for the seal?"

Naruto blinked owlishly for a moment before saying with a sad tone, "That thought didn't cross my mind, though I doubt they would be willing to part with their Jinchūriki. To most, we are weapons after all."

Sakura nodded in agreement as she drained her cup of tea before standing up. "Shibuki plans to leave in the morning right?"

"That's right. Kakashi-sensei informed you and Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded, "He did, and he said that we need to be early. Like he is one to talk, the hypocrite. Even after the threats, he still comes late."

Naruto gave an awkward laugh, "Hahaha… That's Kakashi-sensei for you. At least he is only a few minutes late now instead of three hours."

"Still, he is a Jōnin! He should be a bit more professional. Anyway, good night Naruto. See you at the gate!" Naruto nodded as Sakura vanished in a puff of smoke.

" _Naruto, are you really going to go through with your plan? Your teammate won't like it. Especially since you haven't discussed it with her."_ The deep rumbling voice of Kurama reverberated through Naruto's mind.

" _You are worrying for nothing. I have a feeling that it would be needed. Having a backup plan is always good. I have rushed into danger without one too many times in the past to not plan ahead from now on. Especially since our opponent is Madara and Tobi."_ Kurama gave a mental equivalent of a shrug before going quiet leaving Naruto to his own thoughts.

* * *

Next morning, Sakura was the first one to arrive at the Main Gates. She looked around before sighing in annoyance right before Naruto and Sasuke appeared in a shunshin. "Moring you two. Get any sleep?"

Naruto gave a big yawn before grumbling out, "Not really. I needed to check through some of the sealing notes on the seal that my clan gifted to Taki. I do think my plan is feasible."

Sasuke just grunted in greeting before looking at Naruto with curiosity, "What plan Naruto?"

"Huh… oh right, you didn't come by last night. As I said to Sakura, a barrier similar to the one that surrounds my compound can be integrated into the present formula without much problem."

"Still, do you think it wise to strengthen a foreign village like that?" Sakura said with a frown.

Sasuke frowned as well only for Naruto to wave off the concern. "It isn't like I am not leaving a back door in it. Beside it has a weakness to Jikukan Ninjutsu and tunnelling under the barrier, remember."

"Still…"

"I think that your concern isn't necessary Sakura. It has such a massive glaring hole in the structure. Granted Jikukan Ninjutsu isn't common, but tunnelling under the barrier, which must be barely a couple of inches thick can be easily done. He offers his hand in friendship while leaving clutching a dagger behind his back. It is a wise precaution. Besides, he doesn't need to let Taki know about the glaring weaknesses." Sasuke said with a grin.

Sakura huffed but nodded in agreement that the plan was sound. She was about to open her mouth to speak when Shibuki appeared with Kakashi.

"Good morning team. I hope you all are packed and ready to go?" Kakashi asked getting nods from his team as each of them brought out storage scrolls, or in Naruto's case pointed to a massive scroll strapped to his back. Kakashi nodded in satisfaction before saying, "We are going to travel in Arrowhead formation with Sasuke taking point, Naruto your left wingman, Sakura your right wingman, Shibuki directly behind you, with me taking up the rear. Any questions?"

Sasuke looked at his two teammates before speaking up, "What speed are we moving at?"

"Mid Chunin. I know that Naruto and Sakura can maintain that for over ten hours before being tired, well in Sakura's case, Naruto has enough stamina to put Gai to shame. Anyway, how long do you think you can maintain it?"

"Six, seven hours tops. Naruto and Sakura have forced me to increase my stamina along with my speed during our personal Team Training for the past month, I should be fine to fight if we keep in that time span."

Kakashi nodded while Shibuki looked startled at the revelation. He didn't think that the Genin of Konoha were that capable. Sure Naruto was a monster, but he was also an Uzumaki and a Jinchūriki. It was expected of him, but two Genin, one from a Civilian family and the other from the famous Uchiha Clan, but only a handful of Uchiha have every come to become something great. The rest were just mediocre at best. What kind of training creates such monsters?

"Get in formation in front of the gate. I will handle the sign out with Izumo and Kotetsu. Do an equipment check while I do that," Kakashi said as he approached the small hut. Behind him, his team and Shibuki got into their assigned positions before checking over themselves for their equipment. After a couple of minutes, Kakashi took up his position and gave the signal to move causing the group to rush out of the gates and vanish into the trees.

* * *

The group travelled towards Taki at mid Chunin speed taking small rests every six hours to give Sasuke and apparently Shibuki a respite to catch their breaths. With all the rests, it still took the group three days to reach Taki. As the group approached a large waterfall, Shibuki called for them to stop just as multiple Taki Ninja appeared from the trees surrounding the waterfall.

"Shibuki-sama, you have finally returned. I hope that you didn't have any problems on the road?" A petite kunoichi asked with a smile as she looked at the Konoha ninja escorting her leader.

"None at all Kotoe, no trouble here I hope?"

"We did have a bit of a problem last night from Kanoko trying to get back in without the proper paperwork, but that was easily solved. I still don't know why you allow her to stay as a Kunoichi. She keeps misplacing her id." Kotoe said with a huff.

Shibuki just shook his head in exasperation but nodded, "I will give her another warning. Now open up the gates Kotoe. Uzumaki-sama has accepted the job."

Kotoe nodded to her leader before turning to the Konoha ninja and with a bow directed to Naruto, said, "Welcome to Taki Uzumaki-sama and comrades. I hope you will find your stay here pleasing. Haru open the gate!"

"Yes Taicho!" The Shinobi standing on a ledge said as he took out a stone key with seals carved on it. Placing the key in a hidden slot behind him, the man turned then key clockwise. With a low groaning, a large spire of rock emerged from the waterfall separating the curtain into two, leaving behind a massive gaping maw in between.

"Well, follow me. Be sure to step only where I step." Shibuki said with a grim expression causing drops of sweat to form on Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura's foreheads.

"The booby traps right. That's why we used the official entrance instead of the usual one?" Naruto said with a mischievous grin causing Shibuki to look at the blonde Jinchūriki in shock.

"How did you…"

"…Know? I can sense everything within ten kilometres of me. That means I knew that we were going towards the official entrance instead of the secondary one, but I agree with the sentiment. Never show your main entrance to foreigners. That was a mistake my clan made in the past and paid for it."

Shibuki nodded, "I see Naruto-sama. Then you can sense Taki as well?" Naruto nodded causing the leader to sigh. "Well, I believe that most sensors can barely feel three furlongs. You are the exception, so I don't think it is a danger, but is there any way to confuse sensory abilities?"

"There are a few barriers, but they won't stop anyone like me. My abilities come from both emotion sensing and sensing life instead of chakra. Which in turns comes from my senjutsu. So I don't think you would need such an addition, of course if you are willing to pay for it, I can integrate it into the seal!"

Shibuki looked surprised but grinned at the subtle jab. Behind them, the remaining members of Team 7 were grinning as well. "We can discuss it later Naruto-sama, but first, welcome to Taki, proper."

Team 7 looked on in awe as they laid their eyes on the massive tree that grew in the middle of the village surrounded by a body of pristine clear water. Well Naruto and Sakura had already seen the village once, but they didn't have the chance to admire it last time, not with the grumbling they were doing for being assigned that stupid cleaning job.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Team 7 nodded in agreement before Naruto sensed someone above. Before anyone realized what happened, Naruto had vanished in a swirl of wind.

"What happened?" Shibuki shouted in shock only for Sakura to look up with an annoyed expression on her face, as she was greeted to the sight of a mint haired, tan-skinned girl with orange eyes, wearing white midriff shirt and apron skirt over fishnet armour and shorts. Her hitai-ate was tied to her right arm.

"Shibuki-sama, is that Taki's Jinchūriki?" Shibuki looked up in the direction Sakura pointed to see Naruto float in front of a stunned Fū, who had her fist connected to Naruto's.

* * *

"Fū, Shibuki-sama has returned. Go and keep an eye on him. Foreign dignitaries are accompanying him." Fū said to herself in a mocking tone. "What do they take me for? I may be a Jinchūriki, but I still need rest. Damned elders!"

Fū looked down as she flew above the official entrance and saw Shibuki being accompanied by a shinobi she recognised as Hatake Kakashi. Along with him must have been his Genin Team, Fū realized though she felt a strange sense of familiarity with the blonde genin.

As she hovered above the group, she saw the blonde genin suddenly vanish from existence. Before she could react, the same blonde appeared out of thin air in front of her with a grin on his face. She saw that the boy looked friendly as he extended his right fist to her. Though wary of his intentions, Fū extended her fist and met his right before her eyes widened in shock.

* * *

Fū looked around the place she suddenly found herself in. it was a white expanse of space. She saw that she was the only one present before she turned around to see Chōmei behind her, completely unrestrained.

"Chōmei, what's going on?" Fū asked with confusion only for Chōmei to look right past her as the Bijū spoke to her.

"We are in the Mental Dimension we Bijū can use to communicate with each other, and through us our Jinchūriki. So Kurama, what do you and your Jinchūriki want? Though I must confess I am shocked to see you getting along with your Jinchūriki."

"What are you talking about Chōmei? We are the only ones here!" Fū said before the sound of clapping caught her attention. Turning around, she came face to face with the same blonde haired boy with whom she bumped fists. Behind him was the majestic Kyūbi no Yōkō, grinning at her.

"Ah… hi, I am Fū!" The girl said with an awkward smile. This situation was way out of her comfort zone.

"The names Uzumaki Naruto. So Fū, tell me, were you mistreated here?" Naruto asked with a nonchalant tone causing Fū to glare at the blonde.

"You should know? I mean you are a Jinchūriki after all!"

Naruto gave an understanding smile before saying, "Let me rephrase it. How badly were you treated?"

Fū became suspicious, "Why are you interested?"

"To see if you have any reason to leave your village. There is a group S-Ranked Nukenin working to gather all nine Bijū. If you plan to leave your village, you would be vulnerable. I would be willing to offer you a place as a retainer of the Uzumaki Clan, thereby under both our protection and Konoha's. So tell me?"

Fū looked at Naruto and Kurama with suspicion before sighing, "Nothing more than verbal and mental abuse. They didn't dare harm me physically out of fear of releasing Chōmei. Neither did they try to rape me. I don't really have many people I love here. Only Shibuki and my sensei. I know that the elders were planning to exile me if I lose control again. Shibuki denied it, but my insects heard them talking. So what about you? How was your life?"

"Much like yours, but I never gave up and finally gained recognition. Well, the elders and Shibuki fear that your seal has weakened, though I doubt it. If I am not mistaken, Taki was given the Gochūtekkan Fūin. It shouldn't corrode even if Gyūki's full power is used. I know for a fact that it is the same seal that Kirabi, the Hachibi Jinchūriki has, and he can easily access Bijū Mōdō."

"But she doesn't have that seal. It hasn't been used since a couple of years after the fall of Uzu when my first Jinchūriki died. She has the Shi Shinseina Chōkō Fūin." Chōmei said getting a growl from Naruto.

"And where did they get it? No don't answer that. I can use the seal to force some concessions. Using stolen jutsu from a royal clan right after the genocide of the clan is a criminal offence. Taki is on thin ice now." Naruto said with a grin that Kurama mirrored.

"You aren't going to destroy Taki, are you?" Fū asked with trepidation.

"No I won't, but the Elders will wish I did. Besides because of the usage of an Uzumaki seal without permission is a breach of contract. The reason why Shibuki approached me was to renew the contract between Taki and Uzu. Besides it wasn't designed to hold back a Bijū. It is amazing that it hasn't failed, but it may be because of Chōmei's milder temperament." Naruto hypothesized getting a chuckle from Kurama.

"Naruto, will you get on with the reason we made contact?" Kurama said as she tried to slam his paw onto Naruto only for the boy to catch it with ease.

Chōmei and Fū watched in shock at the interaction as Naruto growled at the large fox, "Stop that Kurama. Anyway, do you recognize this Chōmei?"

Naruto raised his palm and in it coalesced a flame like chakra, but unlike normal chakra, which was blue, this was red. Chōmei gasped in shock while Fū looked at it with confusion.

"So, that's just Bijū chakra. Kyūbi's right?"

"How did you get that?" Chōmei asked, suddenly furious.

"I walk amongst the ghosts. Here take it!" Naruto said as he threw the flaming chakra to Chōmei, who caught it in one of her tails. Fū looked confused but before she could say anything, Chōmei touched Naruto on the stomach with her tail.

"Here is the gift back. You are wise to include us in your plans. I will make sure that Fū gets strong enough to be able to survive using my chakra completely. Though how will she master her dark side?"

"I will ask Gamamaru-sensei. Now Fū don't react when I ask to see your Gochūtekkan Fūin. It is best no one knows about what happened. Chōmei, fill her in on the threat. We will see you later." Naruto said before he and Kurama faded from view.

After they had completely faded, Fū turned to Chōmei and asked the question that was plaguing her mind. "What really happened Chōmei. At first, you were suspicious but after he gave that chakra you changed."

"It was my chakra. Chakra I had willingly gifted to the young man. He is very important Fū. Follow his lead. He is the only one I can trust to lead us through the approaching dark times. He is the Yōgen no Ko. The one prophesized to save the world, or destroy it. With our help, it will be the former."

Fū looked surprised but nodded. "Alright Chōmei, I will trust him, because you do."

"That's good little one. We better get out of here. We will talk later." Fū nodded before both faded as well.

* * *

Fū stumbled for a moment before she was caught in the embrace of a gentle wind, which gently lowered her down to the ground right in front of Shibuki and the rest of Team 7. Fū looked disoriented for a moment before looking up at Shibuki with a smile.

"Welcome back Shibuki. Didn't face any assassination attempts without me, did you?"

Everyone on Team 7 stared at the mint haired kunoichi with deadpan expressions while Shibuki just fondly shook his head before pulling the girl into an embrace. "Good to see you as well Fū and no, we didn't face any assassination attempts."

Getting out of the embrace, Fū pouted and said, "That's good, but why didn't you take me with you? It was boring here without you to annoy!"

Shibuki smiled before turning to Team 7, "This is Taki's Jinchūriki, Fū, though I believe that you already realized it Naruto-sama."

Naruto nodded, "That I did. Kurama and I already had a conversation with her and Chōmei. From what I could gather, Chōmei isn't actively working against her, in fact, Chōmei has a fondness for Fū. That makes it easier for her to master Chōmei's power. The reason she can't use more than the four tailed cloak is because she hasn't dealt with the darkness within herself. It is a must for any Jinchūriki to access above four tails. That will require intense meditation and soul-searching on Fū's part."

Fū looked surprised, as did Shibuki, Kakashi, and Sasuke. Fū stepped forward and asked, "You mean to say that I will have to sit still for hours, meditating and soul-searching before I can synchronize with Chōmei?"

Naruto nodded causing Fū to violently curse. Shibuki just looked at the cursing girl with affection before saying, "I think you just disappointed Fū. She seems to suffer from ADHD. She can't stay still for more than a few moments."

Fū glared at Shibuki as everyone laughed, "So was Naruto. He was and is very hyperactive."

"I have calmed down a lot Kakashi-sensei. Becoming a Sage requires patience. Granted, learning to sit completely still was a pain in the ass, but I succeeded and became that much more powerful for it."

"I have to agree with Naruto, sensei. He has truly calmed down a lot, though I think that this hyperactivity common among higher Jinchūriki may be due to the massive amounts of chakra their Bijū contain."

"Leave the medical theories at home Sakura. None of us want to sit through a lecture that none of us can understand." Kakashi admonished causing the girl to huff in annoyance.

"None of you understand the beauty of medical ninjutsu and theory. There are no subtlety in any of your techniques. I can injure you in such a way that you will die a few days later and no one would even realize why!"

Everyone shivered in realization of how dangerous a fully trained Iryōnin was. Naruto turned to Sakura with a grin and said, "That may be true, but you prefer the unsubtle ways as well. Your monstrous strength is a testament to that fact. Shibuki-san, we should head towards the village. After finding a secure place, I can check Fū's seal."

"Oh… so that's the kind of person you are? We haven't met even an hour and you are trying to get me out of my clothes. Smooth Nine!" Fū said with a teasing grin causing Naruto to stumble in his step before vehemently declining her statement.

"NO I WASN'T! Besides I was hired to check the seal!" Naruto sputtered out causing everyone to chuckle at his expense.

"I was just teasing, besides we are ninja. Standard morality doesn't really apply to us. After all the villages train kids to become assassins." Fū said with a sombre tone as everyone nodded in agreement with the girl.

After that the group walked down the path heading towards the Village in silence. The members of Team 7 looking about their surroundings, trying to take in the rare sight of Taki. A sight that very few foreigners have the chance to witness.

* * *

Shibuki and the five village Elders were standing outside the room in which Naruto was examining Fū's seal with Sakura as the medic in standby. Sasuke and Kakashi were leaning on the opposite wall staring at the door with frowns.

"Does standard seal maintenance really take this long Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

Kakashi mirrored Sasuke's frown, "Not really, unless the seal has really deteriorated that Naruto has to practically rebuild the seal. Let's hope that isn't the case."

Near them, the Elders and Shibuki frowned at the thought. Sasuke nodded before asking, "Why was Sakura allowed in while we weren't?"

"Sakura is the medic monitoring Fū's health. If Naruto has to rebuild the seal, it will be Sakura's duty to stabilize her while Naruto rebuilds the broken seal. You may not know this, but if the Bijū is ripped from its Jinchūriki, the container dies. Rebuilding the seal causes similar damage to the Jinchūriki's chakra coils. The medic's job is to heal the damage before it can become permanent."

Sasuke nodded in understanding before Kakashi said, "That and because Fū and Naruto are of opposite gender. A moderator is usually there as well so nothing inappropriate happens. Not that Naruto would do anything inappropriate, but it is just a precaution so that no one can accuse him of being inappropriate."

A click drew the attention of everyone. Looking towards the room, the heavy wooden door swung open followed by an infuriated Naruto with a meek Fū following him, supported by Sakura.

"Naruto-sama, what is the condition of the seal?" One of the elders asked with a haughty tone, only for his expression to wilt in the presence of Naruto's anger.

"When was the seal changed?"

The Elders and Shibuki looked confused as Sakura motioned for Sasuke to help her support Fū towards the balcony. Another elder, an old woman nearly in her eighties stepped forward. "That has been the seal used by Taki for two generations now. Fū's predecessor also had that seal."

"Is that so?" Naruto asked with an imperious raising of his eyebrow causing Kakashi to look startled. Naruto's demeanour told him that it was no longer the Naruto he knew, but the Uzu Daimyō who was speaking.

"That's right Naruto-sama!" Another Elder said with a simper causing Naruto to glare at them.

"And did you know that the seal used is much too weak to be effective. What happened to the seal Mito-sama had gifted to Taki?"

"The Gochūtekkan Fūin?" Shibuki asked getting a nod from Naruto. "The elders had forbidden its use after the fall of Uzu. Two years after the fall, they were able to acquire the seal during my grandfather's reign and authorized the change."

Naruto turned his suddenly golden eyes on the nervous group of elders before asking in a monotone, "Let me get this straight. Your lot illegally got your hands on Uzumaki Clan property and instead of returning it to Mito-sama, you decided to keep it. Not only that, without understanding the consequences, you ordered the change on the operating seal for your Jinchūriki. Did I make a mistake?"

The five elders looked at each other nervously before turning to Naruto and said, "We sent a letter to Mito-sama, but never received an answer. As we asked for permission to use the seal, when no reply came, we assumed Mito-sama didn't object."

"I see, so you sent a letter to Mito-sama? Do you take me for a fool? I can sense your emotions and can easily tell that you are lying. No one in this world can lie to me. That is a black mark against you. Do you know what happens to those who steal from a Royal Clan?"

Shibuki looked startled at the revelation, he was now afraid of the retribution Naruto could legally bring down on Taki. If he wanted, Naruto could easily destroy Taki, and no one would say anything in protest. After all he was the slighted party. The Elders paled in realization.

"That's right. If I was cruel, I could have asked for the enslavement of the whole of Taki and then send you all to the mines owned by my clan. Luckily for you, I only ask two things. Fū will be released from Taki into my care as a retainer. Second, execution of you five Elders for abetting theft and fraud against a Royal Clan. Shibuki, I expect to hear these five have been executed by tomorrow and make sure that Fū's discharge and transfer papers are ready by the time I have done with the barrier seals. I was going to update them with a new feature for free, but due to the transgressions of your country against my Clan, I shall not. Also know this, the treaty between Taki and Uzu is hereby dissolved. You will need to renegotiate a treaty if you wish to keep an alliance with Uzu. Remember this, your alliance with Konoha is a direct result of your alliance with us." Naruto said before walking towards the balcony with Kakashi following him.

* * *

Fū sat down on the bench with a little help from Sasuke and Sakura. With shaking hands, Fū took the water flask Sakura offered her and took a long draught before handing the flask back. "That was the worst situation I have ever been through. Luckily, I won't have to go through a similar situation in the future."

Sakura giggled before saying, "Then make sure you don't get pregnant. A female Jinchūriki's seal has a high chance to break during child birth. It's what happened with Naruto's mother."

Fū's eyes widened in shock as she stuttered out, "Naruto's mother was his predecessor?"

Sakura nodded with a solemn expression. Her lips pulled into a tight line. "It is quite sad that Yondaime-sama, a world renowned Fūinjutsu master was unable to repair the seal holding the fox back. Then again, the power of the Kyūbi is nearly unimaginable."

Fū was about to speak when Naruto and Kakashi walked onto the balcony. Both wearing aggravated expressions. Sasuke stared at the duo with a frown just before the five elders rushed in after them with Shibuki not far behind them.

"Who do you think you are Uzumaki?" one of the elders growled out.

"How dare you threaten and order us about? The Taki Daimyō won't agree with your demands!" Another elder exclaimed while the female elder was trying to make them see reason.

Naruto turned his golden eyes on the elders causing them to freeze. With a glower, Naruto hissed out, "Who am I? How dare I threaten and order you? The Taki Daimyō won't agree with my demands! You should be thanking me that I was merciful enough to only ask for your lives only and that Fū be released to me as payment of the transgressions against my clan. I can guarantee that your Daimyō will agree with my demands and in fact add more punishments onto Taki. I think you don't realize the precarious position you are in, abetting theft and fraud against a Noble Clan will have you all hanged at minimum. Against a Royal Clan, you can understand the consequences."

Sasuke walked up beside his teammate and asked, "What's going on Naruto?"

"The elders had the gall to use a stolen Uzumaki proprietary seal, an ineffective one mind you, without permission. They are allies and knew at least one living member of my clan and where she lived and decided to keep the seal and the information to themselves. Calling for their execution and release of Fū into the care of my Clan was the most merciful retribution I could ask, wasn't it?"

"You should have executed them right where they stood, but I understand that you are being your merciful self again." Sasuke said before glaring at the elders with his sharingan active.

"Watch your tongue boy! You may be the last Uchiha, but you have no say here, neither does Uzumaki!"

"Elder's that's enough. You have committed treason against Taki by stealing from an Ally and then trying to defraud them, which led to the dissolving of a nearly century old treaty. Your actions have harmed Taki and for that you shall pay. Even if Naruto-sama didn't call for your execution, I would have had you executed anyway. Now be silent before I decided to have your families charged with treason as well."

That statement from Shibuki caused the clamouring Elders to suddenly become quiet before one of them growled out, "You would side with an outsider against your own people!"

Before anyone could react, one of the elders made a hidden sign causing two teams of ANBU to appear. Shibuki looked startled as the ANBU drew their tanto. "What the hell are you doing? Stand down ANBU!"

"They won't listen to you Shibuki. We were planning to tell you later, but we have decided to have you replaced. You are too soft. You protect the demon while ignoring her transgressions against the village, and you are a poor leader, unable to discipline your subordinates. ANBU execute them!"

* * *

The guards standing at the base of the administration building suddenly straightened their back in shock. Before they could say anything, a man nearing his forties walked passed them with a guard of six Samurai and Ninja. The man was wearing robes made of green silk and wearing a small gold circlet encrusted with jewels on his head.

After the man and his guards were outside ear shot, one of the guards turned to his fellow and asked, "Did you know Daimyō-sama was going to be here?"

His companion, a young kunoichi nodded with a shocked face before peeking her head through the door to see if the Daimyō was gone.

* * *

The Taki Daimyō walked up the stairs and came to the top floor when he heard a commotion. Turning towards the source, he saw an elder ordering two Teams of ANBU to execute Shibuki, a mint haired girl and the Konoha ninja, among them being the Uzu Daimyō, and his target.

Before the man could put a stop to the farce occurring in front of him, the ANBU had already moved to strike down their targets. Just before the ANBU reached their targets, a wave of nauseous feelings flooded the man's head as an invisible pressure fell on his shoulders causing him to fall on his knees. Within moments it had passed, and when the man stood and looked about, he saw that he wasn't the only one affected. Everyone except Naruto was on their knees. The ANBU on their backs, their masks shattered and frothing at the mouth. The elders were unconscious along with the Uchiha Genin. Shibuki was barely awake, and the girls were clutching each other for support. The Jōnin he recognised as the infamous Copī Ninja, Hatake Kakashi was also on his knees. From the rising of the man's chest, he could deduce that Kakashi was panting heavily.

"What in the nine circles of hell was that? You downed all of us without moving a muscle!" Fū exclaimed softly, but in the quiet that followed the wave of whatever it was, everyone could hear her perfectly.

"That was my killing intent amplified by senjutsu." Naruto said with a grin causing Fū and Shibuki to gape while Sakura to shake her head in exasperation.

"Really Naruto! Give us a warning next time!" Sakura complained as she used an Iryōjutsu to wake Sasuke.

The first thing Sasuke asked was, "What did he do now?"

"Focused killing intent amplified by senjutsu, if his word can be believed." Sakura said with a huff as she pulled Sasuke up to his feet.

"Hello Raiden-dono. I was planning to meet you soon enough, but since you are already here, I think that it is best we don't waste time."

"Hello Naruto-sama, what is the agenda?"

Naruto sighed before informing the Taki Daimyō of the crimes perpetrated by the Taki Elders against the Uzumaki and his demands in return. Then their further actions against him, his allies and their own village leader. At the end of the explanation, Naruto said with a grin, "And you saw the end of the confrontation. That's all, I hope I didn't insult you by directly making my demands."

"Not at all Naruto-sama, in fact, you did the right thing. I would like to penalize all of Taki, but it seems that those five were the only ones directly involved, but I would like them interrogated, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all. That's why I asked they be executed by tomorrow at the latest. It would give Taki's T&I division time to draw out the information out of the fools. Also, before you ask, as the old treaty has been dissolved, you and your people will need to negotiate a new one." Naruto said with stern expression causing the man to wince.

"Thank you for the head up Naruto-sama. I will have my advisors draft up a new treaty for your consideration. Now let us retire for some dinner. Shibuki, have your trusted men to arrest these five and their lackeys. I want the reports of their interrogation on my desk by dawn."

"As you wish Daimyō-sama. Fū please escort Daimyō-sama, Naruto-sama and their guards. You have permission to use all the power you have at your disposal to protect them and send your Sensei up here along with his old teammates. We need to arrest these traitors."

Fū nodded before standing up. She was about to follow after the group when Naruto called out, "Fū get some rest. Your chakra coils need time to heal. I can handle any idiots that come after us."

"But…"

"That's an order from a Seal Master. Your seal has been changed. It needs time to completely settle. Besides Sakura-chan will agree with me."

"That's right Fū, eat dinner and turn in early. You saw that Naruto is never caught off-guard. Nothing other than a Jikukan Ninjutsu can cause him to falter."

Fū nodded before looking at Shibuki, who nodded in return causing the girl to sigh in relief. Her chakra coils did still cause her some phantom pains.

* * *

Shibuki woke up from his troubled sleep to the sound of knocking. Yawning widely, Shibuki opened the door to his office to see the head of T&I standing in front of him along with Naruto. "Huh... what's going on?"

"Shibuki, four ninja are infiltrating Taki right at this moment. One of them is Jōnin level and the other three Chunin. I though you ought to know."

Shibuki blinked dumbly before cursing as the head of T&I stared at Naruto in shock. "How did you…"

"I sensed them."

"Then can you tell me if they are heading towards the Sacred Tree from the north side of the Village?"

"That's right, how did you know?" Naruto asked as Shibuki gaped at the two in shock.

"The Elders are working with Nukenin of Taki. Your Sensei to be exact Shibuki-sama. Their target is the Hero's Water. How should we handle the situation?"

"What does the Hero's Water do?" Shibuki stared at Naruto for a moment before sighing, "It increases the power of the consumer at the cost of his or her's life-force. Mobilize the active ninja, we can't allow Suien-sensei and his followers get it."

"No let them get it. My team and I will handle them. Besides you said that they sacrifice their life-force for the power, we just need them to use up the power boost, and they will die by their own actions." Naruto said with a grin causing Shibuki and the head of Taki's T&I to gape at his confidence, before Shibuki nodded in agreement.

Naruto's grin widened before he said, "Good, I will wake up my team and intercept them. Where is the Hero's water kept?"

"A hollow in the Sacred Tree. Fū usually guards it, as the area is very peaceful."

Naruto nodded before dissipating in a cloud of smoke. Shibuki stared at the place Naruto occupied before asking, "He would have gone after them regardless of my decision, wouldn't he?"

"It looks like it. What should we do?"

"We wait and hope that Naruto-sama and his team is able to defeat them. Then again, I thing Naruto-sama can easily defeat them himself." Shibuki said to a nod from his subordinate.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Takigakure no Sato = Village Hidden in the Waterfalls_**

 ** _Nanabi no Kabutomushi = Seven Tailed Beatle_**

 ** _Cha no Kuni = Land of Tea_**

 ** _Nami = Wave_**

 ** _Yōgen no Ko = Child of Prophecy_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Gochūtekkan Fūin = Five Pillared Iron Core Seal_**

 ** _Shi Shinseina Chōkō Fūin = Four Sacred Symbols Seal_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	10. Chapter 9 - First Glimpse!

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all my American Readers! I hope you like this installment of 'Return to the Past'. Make sure to leave me Reviews!**

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them!:)  
**

 **Though it would have been better if I got more reviews.**

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – First Glimpse!**

"Why are we handling this situation? Shouldn't ninja from Takigakure handle intruders in their village?" Sasuke grumbled out as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Simple really, it is a good chance to test out your Ninshu in live combat. Also, since we are handling the situation, especially since we don't have to, not after what the elders did, Taki will be even more indebted to Konoha and our clans. It is a win-win situation with both wins going to us." Naruto said cheerfully causing Sasuke to nod his head in understanding. Behind them, Sakura and Kakashi just sighed at the blonde haired sages overexcited demeanour.

"How many are there anyway?" Kakashi asked with boredom. He had done such missions before while in ANBU. It was quite the brilliant political move on Naruto's part.

"Four, one Jōnin, three chunin. Kakashi-sensei, are you comfortable enough to take on another Jōnin using only Ninshu yet?" Naruto asked with a frown, "Not that I don't believe you capable of handling other Jōnin, but as I said, I want you all to only use Ninshu."

Kakashi hummed before nodding to himself, "I should be able to handle him. You are going to just observe us, aren't you?"

"That's right, don't worry, I will intervene if I see any of you being overwhelmed. I won't even need to move from my spot." Naruto said with a nonchalant grin causing Sakura to growl in annoyance. Sasuke just nodded in acceptance before he smirked.

"So are we ambushing them?"

Naruto looked surprised at Sasuke's query, "Ambush? Why would we do that?"

Sasuke growled in annoyance, "That's the standard procedure, isn't it?"

Sakura and Kakashi nodded in agreement with the last Uchiha only for Naruto to grin, "That's for weaklings. We can easily take them. I have the utmost trust in my teammates! We are going to intercept them from the front after they get their hands on the Hero's Water."

Sakura looked surprised at Naruto's audacity. She still remembered how strong Shibuki became last time, Naruto can't believe that Ninshu would give them enough advantage to defeat an enemy under the effects of the Hero's Water, can he? As he was about to voice her concerns, Naruto said, "You don't really have to defeat them. From what Shibuki said, the Hero's Water, while increasing the power of the drinker also claims their life. You just have to hold them back until the effects wear off, then they will die for their stupidity."

Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura looked surprised at that before Sakura spoke up, "You are banking on the fact that we should have more physical and mental stamina to outlast the effects of the Hero's Water, especially since we aren't going to be using much chakra."

"That's right Sakura-chan! Anyway, the have already drunk the Hero's Water. We are going to reach them within the minute. Sakura, I would like you to focus on earth this time. Kakashi-sensei, try lighting generation and fire. Sasuke, don't even try lightning. We don't need you blowing yourself up again."

Everyone nodded in acceptance as Kakashi asked, "How strong did they become?"

"Low to High. It is a fixed percentage gain from what I can sense. Purified nature chakra is flowing through them. Interesting phenomenon. I need to take a sample to Gamamaru-sensei."

"Stop rambling Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed with annoyance, "We are here!"

"Huh… Oh have fun!" Naruto said before jumping up onto a tree branch. Placing his right hand on the branch, a complex sealing formula formed before a translucent orange barrier formed around him. After a moment, the barrier flashed before vanishing along with Naruto. Sakura and Kakashi focused their senses at the spot to find no trace of Naruto being present. No sound, no smell, no chakra pressure, nothing!

"That's must be some kind of stealth barrier seal!" Kakashi exclaimed in excitement before turning his attention to the arriving Nukenin.

"Hatake Kakashi, the Copī Ninja! I didn't expect you to be here. No matter, you won't be able to defeat me and my team. Not now that we have ingested the Hero's Water!" An older spiky haired man said with a superior smirk. "Though I am surprised that the elders and Shibuki let a foreign Ninja enter Taki. Such a thing hasn't happened since Senju Hashirama and his wife Mito came to deliver the Nanabi!"

"And look at the two cute Genin he has brought along as reinforcements. Run along children, you don't want to die now, do you?" The lone woman said with a mocking tone causing Sasuke to grit his teeth and activate his Sharnigan. Sakura mentally groaned at the arrogance the Kunoichi was showing.

"Oh look! It's the last Uchiha. There are rumours that Orochimaru of the Sannin will pay handsomely for an Uchiha! We should capture him," the silver haired Ame nukenin said with a grin.

"We should try to capture the girl as well. She would be worth a lot on the Black Market. I heard Gatō likes them young!" The final nukenin exclaimed with a lecherous expression on his face, causing both Sakura and the Kunoichi to look at him in disgust while Kakashi and Sasuke frowned.

"Sensei, can we just end this already?" Sakura asked with a sweet smile while directing a surprising amount of killing intent for fresh Genin catching everyone, including Kakashi by surprise. Behind his barrier, Naruto winced before saying out loud, "That was a dumb mistake. Sakura-chan is smiling that creepy smile again!"

"You haven't taught your Genin well, have you? Though I must ask, why happened to your final Genin? Are you so poor a teacher that you have already lost someone?"

"I think that is enough… ah…"

"Suien, these are Hisame, Kirisam and Murasame!" Suien said point to the Kunoichi, the lecherous nukenin and the silver haired nukenin in turn. "Now since the time for talk is over, you three take care of the Genin, the final member should be hiding somewhere. Hisame, take care of him. Murasame, you get the Uchiha. Kirisame, try not to harm the girl too much. Gatō won't pay much for damaged goods." Suien said getting affirmative nods from his team but before the Hisame could move, Sakura stomped her left foot causing the ground under the enemy Kunoichi to lurch forward catching the intruders by surprise.

Before Hisame could even right herself, Sakura had already stomped the ground again causing a large boulder to rise into the air. Throwing her fist into the boulder, Sakura directed the floating piece of earth to fly towards the airborne kunoichi with extreme speed. The boulder crashed into Hisame, throwing her into a tree before crushing her under its weight. With a scream of pain, Hisame fainted. A stream of blood flowing down the side of her mouth.

"What kind of ninjutsu is that? There were no hand seals involved!" Kirisame stuttered out in panic before another boulder flew towards him. Luckily, he was able to regain his senses and dodge before growling out in anger. "Screw selling you to Gatō! I am going to kill you!"

"I would like to see you try mongrel!" Sakura exclaimed as she pulled out another boulder from the ground and launched it towards Kirisame who quickly made the hand seals for Suiton: Suiben no Jutsu. Swinging the newly formed water whip, Kirisame was able to partially redirect boulder before jumping out of the way and into the path of another boulder. With quick reflexes, Kirisame saved himself by using his whip to pull himself out of the way of the second boulder before swinging the whip at Sakura.

"Is that all you can do?" Sakura said raising a wall of rock. The whip struck the wall, chipping it before retracting. The wall lowered to Sakura's waist as Sakura placed a palm on the top of the wall. "I am quite disappointed. Being a Nukenin, I expected that you would at least be Chinnin level in skills. It seems I was mistaken, especially since you can't seem to face even a freshly graduated Genin."

Kirisame growled in anger before jumping down. Channelling raiton chakra through the water whip, he struck out at Sakura again. With a malicious grin, Sakura slashed her palm forward, causing a thin blade of earth to fly and intercept the whip. To Kirisame's surprise, the blade, instead of being slashed in half by the whip, slashed through the whip before exploding into shards and dust, some of the shards in causing minor wounds on his exposed skin. Right after that many more blades of rick flew towards him causing him to draw out two kunai and charge them with raiton chakra. As one after another blade reached him, Kirisame swung his arms, deflecting the blades. Unfortunately, there were too many blades to redirect, so he started getting minor slash wounds.

* * *

As Sakura fought Kirisame, Sasuke concentrated in fighting against Murasame. It seemed that the man was better than the other two, since Sasuke was having a bit of trouble handling him, especially since Murasame used that weird Kokoro Kasoku no Jutsu.

As another barrage of water kunai flew towards him, Sasuke gritted his teeth as he swung his right leg causing a massive wave of flames to form and intercept the weapons, causing them disperse into the air as steam. Growling, Sasuke punched forward releasing a stream of fire at Murasame who dodged before launching another wave of water weapons. Jumping into the air using a burst of fire to rise higher than usual, Sasuke threw his body into a forward spin. Waves of fire lashed out at Murasame in an unpredictable pattern.

Gritting his teeth, Murasame went through some hand seals causing the water around him to fly up, freeze into chunks of jagged ice and fly forward and intercept the whips of fire. Lucky for him, the flames weren't hot enough to completely melt all the ice, so some of the chunks flew towards Sasuke, or so he though. As the jagged pieces of ice struck the Uchiha, he burst into smoke and was replaced by a log.

"You know Sasuke, when I said only Ninshu, I meant it." Sasuke whipped his head to the side to see Naruto standing beside him with a disappointed look on his face.

"I know, but dying soon isn't on my bucket list at the moment!" Sasuke said with annoyance and he breathed heavily causing Nartuto to just shake his head.

"You aren't using the strength of fire comes from the breath. You are trying to use your anger to fuel the fire. While that is effective to a certain degree, true fire bending comes from breath. Let me show you." Naruto said before jumping down. Getting into a relaxed stance, Naruto closed his eyes, raised his fists to his waist and took a deep, calm breath.

Murasame was surprised at Naruto's appearance but realized that he must have been the hidden Genin. With a grin Murasame realized Naruto not focusing his attention towards him. Making a few hand seals, Murasame used the same jutsu he used against Sasuke the right before the Uchiha vanished.

As the wave of jagged ice flew towards him, Naruto's eyes snapped open as he brought back his right fist while extending his left palm. Moving his hands in an anti-clockwise motion, a circle of fire formed, tracing the motions of his hands before he thrust them forward causing the circle to suddenly solidify and release a massive wave of pale yellow flames that easily vaporized the ice chunks and most of the water under the place the wave passed. Murasame watched in shock as the wave rushed towards him. He tried to make the hand seals for the Kawarimi no Jutsu but just before he finished the final seal, the flames swallowed him.

The screams of agony lasted only for a moment before the flames snuffed out, leaving behind the charred corpse of Murasame. Naruto bowed his head for a moment before turning to Sasuke and said, "That is the true power of fire. Strength comes from breath, not anger." Sasuke nodded dumbly, Naruto puffing away in smoke, as he stared at the corpse of his opponent.

* * *

"This is unreal! What kind of jutsu allows someone to do this?" The T&I head asked as the other Taki Ninja nodded in agreement. Fū watched in shock at how easily Naruto defeated Murasame with a single technique using only a clone, while Sakura easily took out the kunoichi before the main fight even began and was now playing around with the remaining Ame nukenin.

Spikes of rock rising from the ground in a blink of an eye, boulders flying with great speed, walls of earth breaking into jagged shards of rock and flying towards their target, all without the use of a single hand seal. The whole battle was unbelievable.

"I can't even sense any chakra in the earth or the fire. It's almost like they are bending the very elements to their wills!" A Jōnin exclaimed in shock.

"That's because they are!" A childish voice called out in glee causing the gathered Taki Ninja to jump. Drawing their kunai, they turned only to come face to face with Naruto standing behind them with a foxy grin on his face.

Calming down, Shibuki asked the question floating about in their heads, "What do you mean Naruto-sama?"

Naruto's feature changed from childish glee to a prideful expression as he said, "What you see are the results of learning using Ninshu, the predecessor of ninjutsu."

"What is Ninshu, Naruto-sama?" A Jōnin asked tentatively, fearing of offending the young daimyō with his ignorance.

"Is this the style you have started teaching a handful of Konoha Ninja? I believe that you used similar techniques during your evaluation, didn't you?" Shibuki asked with awe as he turned back to the fight, hoping to not miss any of it.

Nodding, even though Shibuki couldn't see it, Naruto said, "That's right. Ninshu is the art the Rikudō Sennin taught our world when he gifted us the light that is chakra. It is the use of chakra to connect not only to each other, but to nature itself. His elder son had perverted this sacred art into what we now call Ninjutsu. Not only is Ninshu more potent, even the most powerful techniques require very little chakra cost in comparison to ninjutsu of the same calibre. Granted Ninjutsu is easier to learn, but Ninshu is better."

"If I may Naruto-sama," The T&I Head asked getting a nod from Naruto, "How did you come to learn the art and at such a young age as well?"

"I became a Gama Sennin by observing the battle between a snake summon and toad summon. With my sensory skills, I realized both were using senjutsu in minor amounts to increment their abilities. Studying how they did it, I recreated it. When the Toads learned of it, they decided to test me. It isn't common to become a sage without help, in fact only Senju Hashirama is the only other person to achieve the feat. Originally the Gama Sennin Fukasaku was supposed to administer the test, but the Ōgama Sennin superseded him. I was already using a different variant of Sennin Mōdō to Fukasaku, the variant that Gamamaru-sensei and his pervious student the Rikudō Sennin used, so he took me in as his pupil. After that, he taught me the theory behind Ninshu and let me figure it out. Nothing more really."

Everyone stared in shock, their mouths hanging open before Fū said, "You are a prodigy! There is no other explanation!"

"No, I just work hard. Very hard to gain my abilities. Now before I go, Shibuki, I would advise that you don't use the Hero's Water at all if you can. The water is infused with purified Nature Chakra, the same we sages use in a baser form. The purified form prevents petrification but instead damages the life force. Only a Sage would be able to use it without ill effects. I would advise that if you have a summons contract, see if they will be willing to teach you Senjutsu before allowing anyone to use the Hero's Water. A Sage can easily reverse the damage if they know how." With that said Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke just as Fū said, "Can you teach me?"

* * *

"You are good Kakashi, but I didn't realize that you were good enough to use seal less jutsu." Suien said as Kakashi dodged another wave of shuriken. Without answering, Kakashi punched forward releasing a wave of scorching hot flames causing Suien to use Kawarimi to dodge.

"Is that all you have got? I thought that the Hero's Water is supposed to increase a mediocre shinobi's skills, if this is the increase in your skills, then I can only assume that you were sub-par even among mediocre shinobi!" Kakashi taunted with a bored tone causing Suien to growl before drinking the rest of the water in the jar he was carrying.

Kakashi watched in shock as Suien was suddenly covered in a massive aura of visible chakra. Before he could react, Suien had disappeared and reappeared in front of him, Suien's fist firmly planted in his gut. Coughing up blood, Kakashi tried to kick Suien back only for the former Takinin to jump back and go through the hand seals for the Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu.

Realizing the danger, Kakashi got into a horse stance before clenching his fingers in a fist, with the index and ring finger extended. Raising his pointed fingers to his head, Kakashi swiped his arms in large circular arcs. Bringing his pointed fingers to his waist, Kakashi launched them forward in a strong jab just as Suien conjured the larger than average Water Dragon. As the water dragon charged at Kakashi, intense streams of blue-white lightning flew out of the extended fingers before colliding with the massive water construct.

* * *

Everyone knew that Suiton and Raiton were near about equal in strength. Either could win over the other, depending on the user's skill and power. Here, everyone thought that Kakashi was at a disadvantage. Form what everyone could see, the water dragon was larger than normal, nearly S-Rank in power. Now Kakashi's stream of intense lightning would have easily defeated the water dragon if it was a normal one, the Takinin believed that, at the moment, Kakashi's lightning wasn't strong enough.

"That technique doesn't seem strong enough to handle a water dragon of such power, should we help him Shibuki-sama?" An Anbu asked with concern only for Shibuki to shake his head.

"No, Naruto-sama told us to leave it to him and his team. Besides, Hatake Kakashi is an Elite Jōnin marked as a border line S-Rank Ninja. I doubt he needs help."

As Shibuki said, Kakashi didn't seem that he needed help at all. To everyone's shock, the lightning easily carved through the massive water dragon, causing it to disperse before a massive explosion occurred. The shockwave threw Suien and Kakashi back, but both were easily able to right themselves before looking at their respective opponent. Suien with a shocked and fearful look and Kakashi with the focused look he used to have while in Anbu.

* * *

"How?" Suien muttered out, his body shaking with indecision.

"How what?" Kakashi mocked. "How are you still so weak? You haven't even forced me to use my Sharingan yet. I was expecting more. Maybe, the legend of the Hero's Water was false, or maybe a mediocre shinobi doesn't get that much of a boost?"

Growling, Suien charged at Kakashi, a visible aura of flame like chakra flowing around the former Takinin when suddenly the aura vanished. As soon as the aura vanished, Suien stumbled before falling on his face, blood leaking from his ears, mouth, nose and eyes.

"Well, that was anticlimactic. I was expecting you take him down instead of playing around." Kakashi shrugged at what Naruto said.

"What can I say, I wanted to test out my skills in ninshu, so I decided to play around instead of ending the fight as soon as I could. Besides, you said no Ninjutsu, as far as I know, that also includes Dōjutsu."

"Not really, but I can agree that if you master ninshu without your sharingan, with it you would easily become a high S-Ranked Shinobi." Kakashi nodded in appreciation as he kneeled down beside Suien and placed two fingers on his neck.

"No pulse. He is dead, just as you said. How did the others do Naruto?"

"Better than I expected I Sakura-chan's case, Sasuke could have been better, but his mentality is still not stable enough to bring out the true power of fire. I will have to spend some time helping him get out of his present mindset. Let's round these idiot's corpses up and meet up with the Taki ninja nearby."

"Lead the way Naruto. You still have to check the security seals. How long do you think it will take?"

"Not more than a couple of days, especially with a liberal use of Kage Bunshin." Naruto said as he sealed Suien's corpse in a scroll before he and Kakashi headed to Sasuke's position to repeat the procedure.

* * *

"Give up already, you are losing blood to fast. Within moments, you are going to start getting light headed!" Sakura said with a smirk causing Kirisame to growl before throwing a bunch of water kunai at which were promptly blocked by a wall of stone. Though Kirisame couldn't see her, Sakura had just punched the wall causing thousands of sharp jagged shards to fly towards the tired Kirisame.

As Kirisame was dodging and redirecting the shards, two pieces of rock jutted out of the ground and crushed his right foot between them. With a loud scream, Kirisame fell to the ground, clutching his leg right above the ankle as he tried to pull it free.

While he was thus distracted, Sakura steeled her nerves and launched a wave of rising spikes at the downed Amenin. Hearing the sound of the emerging spikes, Kirisame looked up only for a spike to shoot through his left eye and out the back of his head. Several more spikes followed, tearing through the rest of his body, raising the still warm corpse into the air, his right leg separated from the rest of the body when a spike ripped through Kirisame's right thigh.

Seeing the effect of her final technique, Sakura started hyperventilating in shock just as Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke reached the place. Seeing the corpse, Sasuke turned around and promptly vomited at the condition it was in. He had seen the Uchiha Massacre, but the corpses not brutalized to such a degree. He knew that there were many techniques that could brutalize the corpses, but to see such a thing up close was another thing.

Kakashi watched with shock and sadness at the sight. Seeing Sakura's condition, Kakashi believed that this was the first kill the girl had, so was about to approach her, when Naruto threw him the sealing scroll and pulled Sakura into a comforting hug.

At first, Sakura didn't respond. She just stared at the corpse with blank eyes before Naruto's soothing voice finally breached her shock. Without realizing, Sakura had grabbed onto Naruto and started brawling into his chest.

"I didn't mean to…!" Sakura said after calming down a bit.

Naruto nodded and said, "I know Sakura-chan. This was a complete accident. We still don't know the full power of ninshu. Besides, there is no limit to the techniques one can create. Spikes of rock isn't something that has been seen in dōton before."

"I know, I know that I am being hypocritical, but you should know that I haven't killed anyone in such a brutal manner before. It was a shock!" Sakura said, her jade eyes still red from her bout of crying.

"It wasn't completely your fault Sakura. From the expression on what's left of Kirisame's face, I can say that he was surprised and shock just before he died. If he had expected such a technique, he should have been able to dodge most of it, even with his foot clamped to the ground." Sakura looked up to see Kakashi standing beside her with a gentle look in his eyes. "Besides, such things happen. I have a technique that can be used punch fist sized holes through someone's chest. Many top ranking shinobi have to face the moral dilemma of if they should use their more brutal techniques at all. I say, we only use them in the protection of our comrades."

"I agree with Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said as he let go of the girl with a bit of reluctance. "My Fūton: Rasenshuriken can atomize anything that comes in contact with it. That doesn't stop me from using it, does it?"

Kakashi looked startled at the revelation as Sakura looked contemplative for a moment before nodding in agreement, "You are right Kakashi-sensei, Naruto. I was being stupid. Besides, if I remember correctly, a Rasenshuriken can easily reduce a small hill to nothing."

Kakashi started choking on his own spit in shock causing Sakura and Naruto to laugh before Kakashi asked, "You completed the Rasengan?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out. Now let's head back. Sakura-chan looks like she can use a good rest to calm down. Oi Sasuke, you alright there?"

Sasuke finished rinsing his mouth out with the water from his canteen before looking at Naruto and nodding, "I am now. I didn't expect such a brutal sight. I have read of them, but to see one up close…" Sasuke drifted off as his face paled a bit before shaking his head.

"Alright then, lets head back. I will carry the Kunoichi, she should still be alive." Naruto said causing the rest of his team to nod. Picking up Hisame without any sign of effort, Naruto rushed towards the place the Taki ninja were assembled. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other before rushing after the retreating back of their blonde haired teammate.

* * *

Late in the afternoon, Sakura woke up with a cold sweat. Sitting up, Sakura reached out and took a drink from the glass of water that was on the bedside table when Sasuke walked in with bowl of salad in his hand. Sasuke wasn't paying attention, so Sakura watched with amusement as Sasuke sat down on his bed and started munching on his salad. Sakura made a mental note to remember the rare sign of pleasure and happiness Sasuke exhibited as he ate the slices of tomato.

After a few moments, her stomach grumbled causing the pink haired girl to silently get out of bed and walk towards the exit when Sasuke finally realized that his only female teammate was finally awake.

"Hn… so you're awake? Naruto and Kakashi are out with Shibuki, checking the integrity of the seals. Catch, Naruto has left this pouch of ryō for your lunch and if you want to buy any souvenirs. Be back by evening. They wanted to discuss something with us. Also Fū was looking for you. She should be in the lobby." Sasuke said without preamble as he threw the pouch of ryō Sakura, who promptly caught it. Nodding her thanks, Sakura left the room.

Walking down to the lobby of the hotel they were staying at, Sakura saw Fū sitting on one of the chairs, munching on a bag of potato chips, completely ignorant of the hateful glares everyone was directing at her. "Hello Fū. I heard you were looking for me."

Looking up, Fū smiled as she stood up. "That's right, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sakura nodded, "Have you had lunch yet Fū?"

Fū shook her head causing Sakura to smile, "Neither have I, why don't you join me? And don't worry, if anyone give you trouble, let me take care of it."

Fū gave a nervous smile but nodded, "Alright, but you don't really need to get in trouble for me!"

"Nonsense, it's the exact opposite really. Jinchūriki should be respected, not despised. Anyone who turns a blind eye to the situation doesn't deserve to be called a human." Sakura said with vehemence causing Fū's smile to brighten in response.

* * *

"This is interesting…" Naruto mumbled gaining the attention of Kakashi and Shibuki.

"What do you mean, Naruto-sama?" Shibuki asked with worry. Taki was already on thin ice due to the Elders behaviour, he was hoping that there won't be any more unforeseen situations that will cause the precarious relationship between Taki and the Uzumaki to completely fail.

"There has been tampering done on the seal. Probably by the Elders, or on their orders. It has actually weakened the seal as a whole. This array wasn't meant to have loopholes. I am surprised that the whole array hasn't destabilized and taken the whole of Taki with it. If the loophole is activated for too long, the feedback loop would create a cascade failure in the array. The explosion would not only take out Taki, but much of the surrounding lands as well."

Seeing the grim expression on Naruto's face, Kakashi shivered. Beside the silver haired Jōnin, Shibuki's face took on a countenance of horror at the precarious situation his village was in. Shibuki shook his head and asked the question that was floating about both Kakashi and his head, "Will you be able to fix it?"

Naruto nodded, "Not going to be a problem. Lucky for you, the backup array was left untouched. I can use it to keep the protections active while make the necessary corrections. I should be done in a couple of hours. I hope you both have brought something with you keep yourselves busy with. But before that, has the elders been executed yet?"

"Not yet Naruto-sama, Daimyō-sama decided to wait till Hisame has been properly interrogated. He wants to add more crimes to the list."

Naruto nodded before saying, "Then inform Raiden-dono that the elders had also played around with the security features of the Village. If they wanted, they could easily hire Nukenin to attempt a coup d'état, and since you wouldn't be expecting an attack from inside, they would have been successful."

Shibuki nodded with a stony face, "I understand Naruto-sama, the thought had crossed my mind. I will inform Daimyō-sama about this. They are scheduled to be executed at high noon tomorrow. Will you be attending?"

"No I won't, I will be checking how Fū's seal has settled. I will need your and Sakura's help Kakashi-sensei. Can you ask Sasuke to attend the execution?"

"Sure thing Naruto, you just fix the seal here. I want to see how Sakura's doing after her first kill." Kakashi asked with worry. Naruto nodded before he created four clones to aid him. For the next two hours, Naruto and three of his his clones worked in tandem to fix the main array, while the fourth made sure that no chakra fed back into the main array from the backup array.

It was amazing how Naruto or one of his clones would change a subarray and then diagnose it by only activating it and placing a metal plate engraved with the Uzumaki Clan Symbol to it. If the symbol glowed red, they would recheck the array. If it glowed white, they would move on to the next subarray. Kakashi had seen his sensei work on seals before, but the way Naruto was working and the simple tool he was using was completely different. Then again, his sensei wasn't an Uzumaki, and Kakashi himself hadn't seen an Uzumaki work on seals before, so this was quite the treat.

Finally, after nearly an extra hour passed before Naruto was finally satisfied with the seal. He nodded to the final clone who nodded back before letting the backup array reconnect to the main one. Kakashi and Shibuki watched as the backup array glowed white before dimming and going dark. At the same time, the main array started glowing with a faint white light that intensified before suddenly dimming in a flash of white light. Naruto placed the metal plate at the bridging array and saw the engraving glow white causing the blonde to smile.

"Alright everything is fine now. There are no feedback loops present anywhere in any of the arrays. Also the backup array is in perfect working condition, so I conclude a portion of our contract fulfilled. After I check how Fū's new seal is setting, I will declare our contract fulfilled."

Shibuki nodded to Naruto's statement before saying, "Fū's discharge and transfer papers are ready Naruto-sama. Daimyō-sama has personally countersigned the papers so that no one can complaint. He has also included a paper to transfer the Nanabi to the Uzumaki Clan as part of the payment to regain Taki's honour."

Naruto nodded before saying, "That's good. I will pick up the papers right before we leave for Konoha. Fū will be accompany us immediately. Make sure that her personal artefacts are packed and ready to go. We leave the day after tomorrow." Naruto said imperiously causing Shibuki to shiver but nod in agreement.

"As you wish Naruto-sama. Also, Daimyō-sama asked me to inform you that the new treaty will be delivered to you at the time of the Chunin Exams. We hope that won't be an inconvenience?"

"Not at all Shibuki. Now let's head out. I can feel Sakura and Fū in the middle of the commerce district, or at least I think it is the commerce district. So may civilian chakra signatures." Naruto said as his eyes flashed gold for a second. Naruto didn't wait for Shibuki to answer and left, leaving a stunned Shibuki behind. Being told that Naruto could sense the whole of Taki was something, seeing it in action was shocking.

* * *

"So what did you wish to talk to me about Fū?" Sakura said while she discreetly observed the behaviour of the civilians around them. Most of them were glaring at Fū while some were staring at her with suspicion and concealed hostility.

"I was wondering what me being a retainer to the Uzumaki Clan would entail? While I am grateful to Naruto, I am a bit apprehensive of his intentions." Fū said nervously causing Sakura to giggle.

Fū frowned but before she could ask what was so funny, Sakura said, "Sorry, but Naruto doesn't have any ulterior motives other than protecting and helping you. You know, there is an organization of S-Ranked criminals out there. Their goal is to gather all nine Bijū and fuse them into the Jūbi. Only Naruto and I know about it at the moment and maybe Jiraiya-sama of the Sannin. Make sure to not let anyone know you know. That would put you in grave danger."

Seeing Sakura's serious expression, Fū gulped and nodded in agreement, "Alright. I will make sure that no one learns of this information from me."

Sakura nodded, "Good. Now you understand why Naruto browbeat Taki to surrender you and Chomei. You aren't ready to handle an S-Ranked shinobi, let alone two. Konoha is better prepared for such an eventuality, besides, Naruto can handle a duo himself and that's without Kurama's help. Anyway, as a retainer, you will be expected to put the Uzumaki Clan above everything, but to tell you the truth, you will be a retainer in name only. We have our own problems. A man named Danzō would try and get you under his thumb, as a retainer of the Uzumaki, he won't dare to kidnap you. He fears Naruto and his retaliation."

"So practically, I can still lead my own life? I will just need to put the Uzumaki above others and I public, call an Uzumaki, sama?" Fū asked with incredulity, "It can't be that simple, can it?"

"It's exactly that simple Fū. Naruto isn't a tyrant, nor is he like other nobles and royals. He is quite a laid back guy, sometimes an idiot, but can be depended on completely."

"Hello Haruno-san, having a late lunch?" Sakura and Fū quickly stood up and bowed to the newcomer.

"Daimyō-sama!" Fū said.

"Raiden-sama, how may I be of service!" Sakura said, keeping her head bowed.

"Rise you two. I was hoping if you know where Naruto-sama is?"

Doing as the Daimyō commanded, Sakura and Fū stood up from their bow and looked at the man with nervous expressions. Sakura mentally sighed before saying, "I am sorry, but I don't know where he is particular, but I know that he is checking the barrier seals, so he should be where the arrays are."

Raiden nodded, "Thank you Haruno-san. When you see him, can you please tell him that unfortunately, I will have to leave tomorrow right after the execution of the elders. I really need to get back to the capital and my palace so that I can get my advisors together to help draft the new treaty."

"Of course Raiden-sama, I will make sure that Naruto knows."

"I already know Sakura. I heard all of it. Raiden-dono, please don't waste your valuable time with pleasantries. If you need to leave, I won't take offense. After all, who better than shinobi understand the value of time." Natruto said with a smile that Sakura realized was a polite mask. It seems that Naruto was quickly becoming a good politician.

Raiden nodded, "Thank you for understanding Naruto-sama. Now before I leave, can I be of help?"

"Not really, everything is done already. I will check Fū's seal tomorrow and check how well it has settled before declaring the contract fulfilled. After that, we head home. Anything else you need to know, I have told Shibuki to tell you, no need to waste time in repeating the same thing." Raiden nodded before leaving with his guards. Naruto smirked when he sensed the annoyance Raiden felt at Naruto's polite yet subtle dismissal.

"You know; you shouldn't dismiss fellow Daimyō like that." Sakura said with a grin that Naruto returned. Beside him, Kakashi grinned under his mask. Fū and Shibuki looked confused for a moment before their eyes widened in realization. Since Shibuki was already here, Naruto's statement was a dismissal. A subtle one, but one they were sure that the Daimyō picked up.

"I don't know what you mean Sakura-chan. I just pointed out that Shibuki already knew what I would say. Raiden-dono could have directly asked Shibuki right here." Sakura just shook her head before saying, "Are you lot joining us for a late lunch?"

"Sorry Haruno-san, but I must get back to my paperwork. A lot has piled up, and I now have to also check the paperwork the elders had done. It will be one hell of a tedious time for me." Shibuki said before turning top Fū, "Be a good hostess Fū and show our guests around Taki."

"Sure thing Shibuki. Make sure you keep an eye open for more assassination attempts!" Fū said with a cheeky smile causing Shibuki to grumbled before bowing to Naruto and leaving in a shunshin.

Naruto and Kakashi took seats at Fū and Sakura's table and after placing their orders, Kakashi turned Sakura and asked with a worried tone, "Are you feeling alright Sakura?"

"This wasn't my first kill Kakashi-sensei. I had already killed before I became a Genin. Remember that Naruto and I used to sneak out of Konoha for training. We had killed a couple of bandits before. I was just shocked at the brutality of my technique, nothing more. Most of my techniques are either subtle or blunt force trauma based. The amount of trauma Kirisame went through was just shocking. I will be alright in the future."

Kakashi nodded before saying, "If you say so, keep in mind that I am here to talk too."

Sakura nodded with gratitude as she ate a bit of her salad. Beside her, Fū was whispering with Naruto.

* * *

"Citizens of Taki! I come before you with grave news. It seems that our trusted elders have been misusing the trust for their own gain. They have abated theft from an allied Royal Clan, the Uzumaki. They ordered the changing of the seal that keeps the Nanabi imprisoned to an ineffective one. It is a miracle that the seal held. We could have had the Nanabi rampage across the village. They had tampered with the barrier seal that keeps all of us protected. And Finally they tried to assassinate an allied Daimyō, perpetrate a coup d'état and helped Nukenin sneak into Taki. All of which are treasonous crimes. Because of them, a nearly century old alliance treaty has been dismissed, which may lead to the loss of our treaty with Konoha. They have brought ruin upon Taki and her inhabitants. For these crimes, I have sentenced them to execution. Be warned, treason will not be tolerated! Anbu bring in the criminals!" Raiden said causing the ten Anbu to drag the elders to the execution platform erected in the middle of the village.

All the elders were gagged, hands tied behind their backs and bags over their heads. The Anbu tied them to posts before pulling of the bags and then removing the gags. As soon as the gags were removed, the elders started begging for their lives.

One the Anbu took tied ninja wires around the throats of the five treasonous elders before handing the ends to another Anbu, who took them her hand before channelling raiton chakra through them. Sasuke watched from the back of the crowd as the elders screamed in pain. Many of the civilians turned away while others glared at the elders. Some crying out of the Anbu to increase the strength of the current. Blood started leaking out of the eyes, ears, mouth and nose of the now silent elders, still screaming, their vocal cords torn beyond help.

It took another couple of minutes before the elders stopped screaming and slumped in their binds causing the Anbu to stop channelling raiton chakra. A Iryōnin walked forward and checked the elders before approaching the Daimyō. "Daimyō-sama, all five elders are dead. Their hearts have collapsed and their brains fired. There is no hope of reviving them. Execution complete!"

Raiden nodded before turning back to the crowd, "As you can see, the treacherous elders have been executed. Burn this sight to your minds. This is what awaits those who betray Taki! Dismissed!"

The crowd left silently leaving behind Sasuke, who approached the Taki Daimyō. Seeing the approaching Uchiha, Raiden motioned for his guard to wait and let him come close, "What can I do for you Uchiha-san?"

"I was wondering Daimyō-sama, what is the punishment dealt to Nukenin?"

"If caught alive, they are tortured to extract all information of their activities before being publically executed like the elders were, that's is if they were of Taki. Foreigners are either handed over to their home village if allies, or killed anonymously. If it seems impossible to catch them alive, they are killed on the spot. Why do you ask?"

"I heard that you were a Shinobi and since you have no reason to butter up to me like some Konoha ninja do, I decided that you would be the best person to ask. I could have asked Naruto, but he is quite merciful, so his decisions may be different."

Raiden nodded before saying, "Always trust your teammates, but still be sceptical. You don't know when an ally becomes the enemy and when an enemy can become an ally."

Sasuke nodded before bowing, "Thank you for the wisdom Daimyō-sama. May I leave?"

"You may!" Raiden said imperiously causing Sasuke to rise from his bow and vanish in a shunshin.

* * *

"Here is the payment for the job Naruto-sama!" Shibuki said as he handed over a scroll to Naruto who took it with a nod before sealing it into a storage seal on in his flak jacket. "And here are Fū's discharge and transfer papers which include the transfer of ownership of the Nanabi to the Uzumaki Clan."

Naruto took the next set of scrolls and browsed through them for a moment before nodding and sealing them in another storage scroll. "Thank you for your cooperation Shibuki. We will leave now. If you wish to have a private conversation with Fū, we will wait by the entrance of the building." Naruto said before walking out of room with his team leaving behind Fū.

Shibuki looked at Fū with tender eyes before pulling the girl into a tight embrace, "Take care of yourself Fū. I will miss you, but I know that you will have a better life now. I hope to hear great things about you in the future!"

Fū cried as she hugged the man she considered an elder brother and said, "I will make sure that you are proud Shibuki. Make sure to sleep with an eye open. I don't want to hear that you were assassinated in your sleep."

Shibuki chuckled before letting the girl go. Fū smiled before taking of the Taki Hitai-ate and placed it on Shibuki's table. Shibuki took it in his hand and stared at it for a moment before handing it back to Fū. "Keep it. I know that you can't wear it anymore, but you can still keep it to remember me by." Fū nodded with teary eyes before bowing and leaving the room.

* * *

Fū met up with the group of Konoha ninja only to see Kakashi reading a scroll with the Konoha symbol watermarked into it. Realizing that it was a field order directly from the Hokage, Fū asked, "What happened? Are there any change in orders from the Hokage?"

Kakashi rolled up the scroll and turned to his team and Fū with a grim expression. Sighing, Kakashi said, "Team 10 took a C-Ranked mission recently. It was supposed to be a standard escort and guard mission."

Hearing this Naruto and Sakura tensed, both were hoping that it wasn't the Wave mission. First it was too soon, and they really hoped that the changes they implemented didn't change the time frame of their self-appointed mission.

"Their client, the bridge builder Tazuna had lied. It seems that Gatō of Gatō Shipping Corporation has taken over Nami no Kuni. Their Daimyō was already killed. Gatō has placed a contract on Tazuna's head as Tazuna is building a bridge that would destroy the trade monopoly Gatō holds over Nami. He has hired the Demon Brothers to take him out. Shikamaru and Choji had easily taken them down, but Asuma fears stronger foes. He has requested backup form Hokage-sama, and we are the only free team there is. We have secondary orders to assassinate Gatō. I want you all to hit the shinobi stores to stock up on tools and rations before we head towards Nami. We will meet at the exit in an hour."

"Hai Kakashi-sensei!" Team 7 called out while Fū nodded before the four ran off towards the shinobi section of the commerce district.

Kakashi sighed before summoning Pakkun. The small pug looked around before asking, "Yo! Kakashi, what do you need?"

"Pakkun, I need you to head to Konoha and tell Hokage-sama that Team 7 and the new retainer of the Uzumaki Clan, the Nanabi Jinchūriki are heading towards Nami within the hour. Make haste Pakkun, I fear I may need you in the near future." Pakkun nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 _ **N/A**_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Suiton: Suiben no Jutsu = Water Release: Water Whip Technique_**

 ** _Kokoro Kasoku no Jutsu = Heart Acceleration Technique_**

 ** _Kawarimi no Jutsu = Substitution Technique_**

 ** _Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu = Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique_**

 ** _Fūton: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken_**

 ** _Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	11. Chapter 10 - Waves of Change Part I

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them!:)  
**

 **Though it would have been better if I got more reviews.**

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Waves of Change Part I**

Ino, Chōji and Shikamaru were walking through a misty forest with their client, Tazuna walking in between them. Asuma was bringing up the rear completing the diamond formation enclosing Tazuna in a protective formation. While the Genin and their client was lazily walking down the forest path, Asuma was jumpy looking about, fingers twitching whenever he thought he saw a shadow move.

A sudden sound caused the group to stop when Asuma threw a kunai at a bush. After a couple of moments, Ino walked towards the bush and peered in seeing a dead rabbit. Sighing in relief, Ino picked up the rabbit and walked back to the group. "False alarm. It was just a rabbit. Sensei, since you already killed it, can we take it with us? Dad once told me that rabbit stew was very tasty!"

As Ino waited for his answer, Asuma was scrutinizing the rabbit with sceptical eyes. Beside him, Shikamaru was doing the same. Both of their eyes widened in startling realization. The rabbit was white. The season was summer, where by the rabbit should have had brown fur. This one had white, ergo it was bred in captivity and probably used for a Kawarimi. As they came to this realization, they heard a faint whistling sound of something sharp cutting through the air at a fast pace.

With a pale face, Shikamaru collided with Tazuna, bringing the drunk old man to the forest floor with him. Beside him, Asuma had tacked Ino and Chōji as well just as a large zanbatō flew at waist height and collided with a tree. Getting up, the Genin took on a defensive triangular formation around Tazuna as Asuma warily stared at the famous sword.

Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, a man appeared on top of the handle of the sword. The man was wearing black shinobi pants, black sleeveless muscle shirt, blue-violet cloth forearm guards and blue-violet shinobi sandals. His lower face and neck was wrapped in bandages and he had a Kiri hitai-ate tide around his head with the plate facing left.

"Momochi Zabuza, Kirigakure no Kijin. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Asuma asked with a nonchalant expression while Shikamaru paled even further in fear, cursing and thanking Naruto at the same time for forcing him to memorize the Bingo Book. The information that he was remembering was scaring him.

"Sarutobi Asuma, son of the Sandaime Hokage. No wonder the Oni Kyōdai failed. No matter, I will kill you here and then kill the bridge builder. You, snot nosed Genin, if you wish to live, then run back to your mommies!" Zabuza said with malice as he easily hefted his sword, the legendary Kubikiribōchō onto his shoulders. "Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

The mist thickened to the point where all of them could see barely a foot in front of them. A creepy chuckling filled the thick mist before intense Killing Intent flooded the clearing. The Genin started to shiver and panic while Tazuna was nearly frothing at the mouth. Asuma had developed a prominent sweat at the oppressive feeling of the killing intent but stared to releases his own to countermand Zabuza's.

"Lungs… Liver… Kidney… Clavicle Vein… Jugular Vein… Heart… Femoral Artery… Brain… Spine… so many points to choose from. Which will I go for first?" Zabuza's disembodied voice filled the clearing causing a shiver to run down the Genin and their client's spine. At the same time Asuma looked about with worry. The mist was so infused with Zabuza's chakra that his barely adequate sensory abilities were being completely overwhelmed.

"Why don't I leave it a surprise!"

Zabuza suddenly appeared inside the formation right in front of a startled Tazuna only for him to collapse in a puddle of water. Everyone turned to see Ino with her arm extended. A swirling wave of wind was flying through the point Zabuza's face was, drawing in a lot of the mist with it.

"Ah… Sorry sensei, I just reacted like Naruto taught me!" Ino said with a sheepish look.

"Well at least the troublesome blonde's torture is coming in handy." Shikamaru said when Zabuza's demented laugh filled the clearing.

"Well what do we have here. A Genin with some skill. Granted a Mizu Bunshin is barely a fifth as strong as the original, but to take it out with a single focused strike imbued with nature transformation is still a grand feat. You would make a perfect assassin. If you were in Kiri before the bloodline purges, I would have personally picked you up as my apprentice!"

"Ah… I will take it as a compliment, but I am not really interested in assassinations!" Ino said with an awkward smile.

"That you should missy. Too bad I have to kill you all now. I can't take the chance of underestimating you all now!"

Zabuza appread behind Asuma and slashed through him only for Asuma to puff into smoke and be replaced with a split log. Asuma reappeared behind Zabuza and tried to slash at Zabuza's neck only for Zabuza to intercept the Konoha Jōnin's trench knives with Kubikiribōchō. To the former Kiri shinobi's surprise, the trench knives scored deep gouges on the flat of the blade.

"Fūton chakra flow technique. I should have expected that. You are quite well known for your wind and fire ninjutsu combinations. No matter, your blood will help repair the damage!" Zabuza said with bloodlust before he started to savagely attack Asuma, pushing the cigarette smoking Jōnin into a defensive retreat.

Asuma was panting from the exertion. He was coming to his wits end. No matter what he tried, Zabuza easily countered. He hadn't had such a challenge since his time with the Twelve Ninja Guardians. His katon ninjutsu was completely useless against Zabuza's suiton. His futon, while versatile, just didn't have the strength to take adown Zabuza with a single strike. Besides his futon were meant for support and combinations, not direct offense.

It had already been five minutes and he was starting to feel the onset of chakra exhaustion. A single though was flying though Asuma's mind, _"A hell of a time to realize I have been slacking in training!"_

"Asuma-sensei! Behind you!" Ino screamed in fear as another Zabuza appeared behind Asuma. The warning was enough for Asuma to twist his body enough to prevent the fatal blow to his spine, but unfortunately, the second Zabuza's sword carved a massive chunk of flesh from Asuma's shoulder while the other kicked him towards the large pond where another Zabuza was waiting. Before Asuma could even react, the third Zabuza had already went through hand seals before extending an arm towards him. The water around his feet swirled before rising in a swirling cocoon which quickly gained faint red markings from the blood Asuma was losing.

"Well Asuma, it seems that you are finally defeated. Wait in my Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu and watch while I slaughter your Genin and your client before I finally end you!" Zabuza said sharing a smirk with the two others. Without a visible signal, both rushed the Genin, but before they could react, one of them was launched back with great force while the other stopped and warily watched the newcomer.

The kid was barely thirteen years old with spiky blonde hair, cerulean eyes and wearing a ANBU style uniform with a Konoha Hitai-ate wrapped like a belt while a hitai-ate with the kanji for Bijū and Sennin on his forehead. His Jōnin style flak vest was burnt orange and he was wearing black boots and a red haori with yellow lightning at the bottom hem. He had a sealing kit at his waist and an equipment pouch on each outer thigh.

Zabuza would have scoffed but seeing the look in the blonde's eyes, Zabuza knew not to underestimate him. Especially if he was right about the newcomer's identity. "Uzumaki Naruto I presume? Your reputation precedes you. Though I wonder how much is propaganda and how much is truth."

Naruto didn't say anything at first. Before he smirked and said, "Your reputation precedes you as well Kirigakure no Kijin. You should know that your Suiton is completely useless against me."

"If you are even half as skilled as Genin of Uzushio were, I would be a fool to try ninjutsu against you. But with your pedigree, I doubt it. Son of one of the greatest Fūinjutsu users of my generation and an Uzumaki. It would be suicide. How about this, do you use Bukijutsu? If so, let our weapons and taijutsu decided the confrontation!"

Naruto chuckled, "Very well, but let me warn you, it will be a very short contest!"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed at what he thought was an insult when Naruto started moving his hands. Before he could even react, he found himself dispersing and flowing towards Naruto's hand. The real Zabuza watched in shock the mist, his three clones, and the water prison dispersed and flew towards Naruto, who Zabuza could have sworn was dancing. He watched as all that water came together and formed into a dense ball of water above Naruto's head before compressing and freezing into a chunk of ultra-dense ice. Naruto grinned before he tossed the ball into the air. As the ball was falling, Naruto lashed out with a kick causing the ball to fly towards Zabuza before phasing out of existence. Before Zabuza could react, the ball of ice flew by his face. Loud smacking sound of ice with flesh resounded behind him causing the former Kiri shinobi to turn around and come stare into the mischievous eyes of Naruto. The ball of ice already reverted into a dense ball of water that Naruto was playing catch with.

"How?"

Seeing the dumb expression on Zabuza's face, Naruto grinned before saying, "How what?"

"How did you get here so fast? How are you manipulating the water like that? Are you even a human?"

"Now that would be telling. I might tell you if you give up right now and beg me for the information. Mind you, I said I might. There is still no guarantee that I would."

Zabuza glowered as Naruto threw the ball high into the air before clenching his fist causing the ball to suddenly compress and expand forming into a low level dark cloud where some lightning was beginning to form. Naruto grinned and said, "I hope that demonstration gave you an idea of what would happen if you use ninjutsu against me. Now let's see how good my Bōjutsu has become. I have about a months' worth of training in the basics. That should be enough to handle someone like you!"

* * *

"What is he doing?" Ino asked with worry. "Granted that level of water ninshu was cool, but why is he angering Zabuza?"

"Troublesome blondes. He is playing mind games, trying to unsettle Zabuza. It won't matter who is more skilled in their style of bukijutsu, if you can't focus. Don't forget what Naruto did to our elite Jōnin and ANBU during that evaluation test. Even if he is more skilled, he is playing dirty gaining every advantage he can. Just like Zabuza was doing when he was telling us all about the fatal points and which he should choose."

"Oh stop worrying guys. This is Naruto. The only person to nearly completely fool everyone other than Sakura, but then again, Sakura was doing the same. I hope I can do similar things with earth!" Chōji said with starry eyes.

"Calm down big guy. We should help Asuma-sensei first and let Naruto handle Zabuza." Ino said right as the rest of Team 7 appeared in the clearing with a mint haired girl. At the same time another Naruto appeared with Asuma slung over his shoulder. Placing the nearly unconscious Asuma on the ground, Naruto took out six kunai with tags wrapped around the hilts.

Quickly throwing the six into a hexagonal pattern, Naruto placed a seventh seal in the middle of the formation and channelled chakra into it. A five-meter-tall pole of golden chakra erupted from the seventh seal while four-meter-tall ones erupted from the six boundary ones. The tops of the boundary rods connected with wires of golden chakra before thinner filaments formed form the boundary poles towards the central pole. When the frame work had settled forming, panes of translucent golden chakra formed between the poles and the wires until a hexagonal house like barrier formed around group.

"Why the barrier Naruto?" Sakura asked as she kneeled down beside Asuma and placed a glowing palm on the man's wounded arm before withdrawing it in shock. "What the hell? How is he regenerating like that? What did you do now Naruto?"

"Well…"

"No don't tell me, the barrier is meant to accelerate regeneration of everyone within, isn't it? This is one of your clan's hiden jutsu, right?"

Naruto looked serious as he said, "That's right, but a modified version. The original was meant to facilitate healing jutsu cast within it. This one causes a powerful regeneration ability to manifest on anyone injured within to the same level of a Jinchūriki's regeneration. I modified it, just didn't have the time to test it fully. It also replenishes chakra by changing natural energy into useable chakra without turning the target to stone. I call it the Uzumaki Hijutsu: 7-Ten saisei shōheki. It also acts like a barrier that prevents outside interference and is strong enough to survive three Fūton: Rasenshuriken back to back before collapsing."

No one said anything, because what could they say. Naruto never did anything by half. So pulling such a technique isn't impossible for him. Nodding to herself, Sakura decided to help the barrier in healing Asuma while the others turned towards the Naruto who was taunting Zabuza.

* * *

"You know Oinin, you shouldn't be skulking around here like this. Someone could mistake you for having wrong intentions."

The masked Oinin jumped before pulling out some senbon and nearly chucked them towards Naruto before Naruto caught hold of the Oinin's wrist. "I mean you no harm. Your target is Zabuza, right?"

"That's right Uzumaki-sama!" The Oinin said with a nervous twitch.

"Then you can have him, just let me test out my Bōjutsu against him before you do that. Goodbye, I am sure we will meet again miss." Naruto said with a knowing tone before dispersing in smoke leaving behind a puzzled Oinin.

"I think you have bitten off more that you can chew this time Zabuza-sama. No matter, I will make sure to save you, even if I lose my life in the process. Or I will be a useless tool."

* * *

"So Zabu-chan are you ready?" Naruto said with a simpering tone causing Zabuza to audibly growl in anger.

"Watch it boy. You may be stronger, but I have more experience in Bukijutsu."

Naruto nodded before both of them reappeared in the middle of the clearing with Zabuza holding Kubikiribōchō over his shoulder. Naruto unsealed a staff made of silver chakra metal and got into a defensive stance. "You can have the first strike Zabuza. Here I will make it easier. I will close my eyes for you!"

Zabuza watched with annoyance at Naruto's audacity but just shrugged and charged towards the boy with the intent on ending the boy with a single strike. As Zabuza was about to cleave Naruto in half, Naruto expertly swiped his staff and parried the blow before spinning and ramming the staff into Zabuza's stomach. Jumping back, Zabuza tood a deep breath and started viciously attacking Naruto with swipes, kicks and thrusts. To his shock, Naruto kept dodging, parrying and countering with his eyes still closed. After a couple of minutes of assaulting the blonde, Zabuza jumped back and started taking in deep breaths.

Naruto opened his eyes and smirked saying, "Well you had your chance. Let me try!"

Without warning Naruto jumped forward swinging his staff with an expertise that beguiled all expectations. For the next minute, Zabuza tried to dodge, parry or counter Naruto's blows only to partially succeed. The strikes he was able to parry or dodge were feints and the counters he was able to connect were shrugged off with impunity at the end of the short but furious bout, Zabuza was completely exhausted.

Looking up with tired eyes, Zabuza's eyes widened in fear as Naruto thrusted his staff with great strength, catching the man in the stomach and launching him into a tree. The impact was so hard, that the tree snapped in half and fell backwards.

"That was fast. Great job Naruto." Zabuza groaned and looked up to see Kakashi standing beside Naruto with a kunai in his hand. Zabuza watched as Naruto nodded before saying, "I must say, I had underestimated how good Zabuza is with that Zanbatō of his. The only reason I won so easily was because I have greater stamina, strength and my sensory perception. Without those, Zabuza would have won."

"Do you want to do the honours, or should I?" Kakashi asked as he pointed his kunai at Zabuza. Naruto just shrugged causing Kakashi to nod and pull his hand back to throw the kunai when three senbon needles struck Zabuza in the neck. Kakashi warily looked towards the source to see a Kiri Oinin sitting on the branch with some more senbon in hand.

"As agreed, since I saw you weren't going to kill him, I decided to do it for you Uzumaki-sama. As part of the deal, I will now take care of his body and sword." The Oinin said causing confusion among everyone present except Sakura, who already knew what was happening. Naruto had made a deal with Haku to seem like he wasn't interested in creating an international incident, which would have happened if Haku was a real Kiri Oinin.

"Let me check that he is dead. No offense to your skills Oinin-san, but senbon has a very low fatality rate." Kakashi said with a suspicious expression on his lone eye.

Suprisingly the Oinin nodded, "I agree with you. I prefer senbon as I am mostly dispatched to capture my targets alive, unfortunately of Zabuza, I was sent to kill him. Check him, I can guarantee that he is dead. I swear on my honour as a Kiri Oinin."

Kakashi nodded as he approached Zabuza and, kneeling down, felt for a pulse. After a couple of moments, Kakashi stood up and declared that Zabuza was dead. The Oinin nodded before jumping down from the tree and landing beside Zabuza's body. Taking out a kunai, the Oinin turned to the group and said, "I would advise you Genin to turn around. The next sight will be gruesome. If you haven't had your first kills, it would be very unsettling."

Asuma, who was completely healed by now, nodded and said, "I agree with the Oinin, if any of you don't wish to watch the Oinin behead Zabuza, then I advise you all to turn your head."

Tazuna and most of the Genin turned their heads away. Only Sakura, Naruto and Fū kept watch with Asuma and Kakashi. The Oinin nodded and placed the kunai at Zabuza's throat before quickly making a couple of one handed hand-seals out of the view of everyone and suddenly disappeared.

Asuma and Kakashi cursed while Sakura and Naruto looked at each other and nodded. At least some part of their plans were still feasible. The way Haku was behaving caused an unseen tension on their shoulders. Seeing Haku take away Zabuza was a massive relief to them.

Tazuna and the Genin turned back to as soon as Kakashi and Asuma cursede and saw Zabuza and the Oinin were gone. Ino, being the inquisitive one asked, "Where are the Oinin and Zabuza's corpse?"

"The Oinin was Zabuza's accomplice. Unfortunately, even though I had my suspicions, I couldn't interfere for fear of causing an international incident, if my suspicions were wrong. By the time we realized what happened, the Oinin had already taken Zabuza away."

"But you said that he was dead?" Sasuke asked with a frown before his eyes widened in realization.

"Senbon. The Oinin used senbon. It may have carried a fast acting poison that temporarily sends the body into a death like state!"

"Close, but not quite Sasuke. The senbon struck the neck in a particular sequence. The same sequence of striking with a finger would activate pressure point that would induce a death like state." Sakura said with her expertise in human anatomy and her knowledge from the future.

Everyone nodded in deference to her speciality. Sakura was the only one with knowledge and expertise among them to truly understand what happened. Asuma shakily stood up and asked, "How long will he be out Sakura?"

"I would put it up to a week to recover from the death like state. Then another one to recover from the strikes Naruto were able to land on him. Did you break anything serious?" Sakura asked Naruto with a frown.

"A couple of ribs. Probably a ruptured spleen. The impact with the tree should have cracked a couple of vertebrae. Probably a concussion. Nothing serious that would take Zabuza out for more than two weeks. Three tops if the fake Oinin doesn't have medical expertise."

Sakura nodded, "Then let us assume the worst expect them to try again in a week's time."

"Wait, Naruto-sama, what did the fake Oinin mean about a deal. When did you make a deal with the fake Oinin?" Fū asked causing Shikamaru to focus shrewd eyes on the blonde.

"I had my suspicions as well. Unfortunately, being a Daimyō, my actions would have greater effect on the world at large. If I was mistaken, then since the Oinin and my mission weren't putting us on opposite sides, it could have been taken as me trying to avenge the fall of the Uzumaki Clan at the hands of the Kiri-Kumo-Iwa coalition. That would sour the already precarious relations of Konoha with Kumo and Iwa."

Fū nodded in understanding when Shikamaru spoke up, "Why not follow them now? You have nearly unparalled sensory abilities."

"Think Shika, what would you do in the Oinin's position?" Naruto said with a serious expression.

"I would expect you to follow me. I see what you mean, but you have the power to easily dispatch the enemy. Why not take it?"

"Simple really Shika, we have travelled nonstop for two days directly from Kiri. Even I have my limits. While I am not really that close to collapsing, it is better to fight on your own terms instead of letting the enemy dictate the terms. Now let's get moving. Sasuke doesn't have the stamina to keep going and still have strength to fight if he doesn't rest soon."

Everyone nodded while Sasuke huffed in annoyance but didn't say anything. Though it hurt his pride to admit it, but Naruto was right. For all of his skills, he still had poor stamina. Even Sakura had better stamina than him and Fū was a Jinchūriki. It seems that all Jinchūriki are blessed with massive stamina, which in his opinion was unfair.

"Tazuna-san, direct us to your home. We are close, right?" Asuma asked as he stood up and stretched.

"Not more than an hour's walk from here."

"Alright then Team 10 and Sasuke, you take diamond formation around Tazuna with Sasuke at point. The rest of us will take up a pentagon formation around the diamond formation with Naruto at point, Asuma and me at the rear and you two on Naruto's left and right, your choice." Kakashi said with Asuma nodding in agreement.

After the formation was ready, the group started walking again while one of Naruto's clones destroyed the sealing tags of the barrier so as to not leave any evidence of the barrier.

* * *

The group was nearing Tazuna's house when Asuma suddenly realized that they had an extra member with them. Staring at Fū Asuma asked, "I seem to have forgotten to ask, but who are you?"

Sasuke chuckled and said, "This is Fū, the Jinchūriki of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi. Naruto strong armed Taki to release her into service of the Uzumaki Clan for the transgressions of the Taki Elders against his clan."

"Don't forget that the Taki Daimyō has acceded all ownership rights of the Nanabi to the Uzumaki Clan as a way of trying to appease Naruto. Though dissolving the hundred-year-old treaty was a bit harsh but an acceptable course of action especially since Naruto would completely crush Taki for the transgressions." Sakura said with a small grin causing Team 10 and Tazuna to gape at the blonde while Fū simply smiled in amusement.

"And Taki agreed, just like that?" Ino asked with incredulity.

"Naruto-sama can be very persuasive. Hell, he even convinced the Nanabi to work with me instead of passively resisting."

"You are lucky that Chōmei was only passively resisting, Kurama used to actively resist me. I couldn't even draw a single tails worth without nearly losing control. Anyway, you will still need to master yourself and your emotions before you can truly use Chōmei's power."

Fū huffed and mumbled, "Stupid meditation. I can swear that you inwardly laugh at me whenever I fail."

"Ah here we are!" Tazuna suddenly exclaimed drawing everyone's attention to the large house standing alone near a dock. As everyone stared at the house admiring the scenery, Tazuna walked up to the door and knocked bringing everyone out of their reverie.

A middle aged, wearing a pink top and blue skirt opened the door with an apprehensive look. Seeing Tazuna standing in front of her, a smile blossomed on her beautiful visage. "Father, your home safe!"

"That I am Tsunami and it's all thanks to these super shinobi with me. Especially the young blonde one, he toyed with the demon of a man sent to kill me before the man was taken away by his accomplice posing as a ninja from another village. I am sure that I am perfectly protected while they are here!"

"That's good news, I thank you for protecting my father Shinobi-san. Please come in and make yourselves at home, though unfortunately we only have one spare room." Tsunami said sanding aside to let her father and his guard enter the house.

"Not to worry, Sakura-chan and I am well used to living outside, so are Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei!" Naruto said with a grin with Sakura, Kakashi and Asuma nodding in agreement. "Besides I always carry multiple survival kits with me now-a-days!"

"Wait you have multiple survival kits, complete with tent, rations and medical supplies on you right now?" Ino asked incredulously.

"Yeah, isn't fūinjutsu the best thing in the world!"

Ino blinked before muttering, "I should have though to bring my gear sealed in a scroll. It would have been so much easier." Ignoring Ino's muttering, the rest of the Konoha Ninja settled down around the living room.

* * *

"So the legendary Kirigakure no Kijin was defeated! You know I expected better. After all, your reputation preceded you. I am paying you a lot of money. Make sure to kill the bridge builder, or you will regret it!" Gatō said with a sneer.

"I nearly did win, if Uzumaki Naruto didn't appear, I would have already finished the mission. I underestimated the brat last time, next time, I won't!" Zabuza said with a growl causing Gatō to step back a couple of steps.

With a shaky voice Gatō asked, "Uzumaki Naruto is here? In Nami right now?"

"Yes, why? Are you afraid of the brat? I wouldn't fault you. The Uzumaki were dangerous foes. Besides Uzumaki Naruto's father was also the only person to get the flee on sight recommendation in his bingo book entry. If I were you, I would hide in the farthest reaches of the Elemental Nations and hope that Uzumaki ignores you." Zabuza said with a feral tone causing Gatō to shiver in fear.

"Mind your tongue Zabuza! I am not afraid of anything. Make sure to kill him as well. If you succeed, I will pay you five times the amount I promised you!" Gatō said before leaving the hut where Zabuza and his accomplice were.

After Gatō and his two men left, a young girl walked out of the shadows, wearing the uniform of the Kiri Oinin. Her mask clutched in her hand. "Zabuza-sama, I don't mean to insult you, but should we just consider the mission a failure and retreat? I mean, with the addition of Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto. I know that Uzumaki Naruto doesn't have the field experience, but from what little I saw during your fight, he is skilled enough to make do, not to mention, is insanely powerful. We alone can't hope to survive such an encounter!"

Zabuza was quiet after the impassioned speech the girl gave before chuckling, "I agree with you Haku, especially since we would already be dead by now unless Uzumaki wants something from us, isn't that right Uzumaki Naruto?"

A chuckling filled the hut causing Haku to stiffen in shock and fear before turning to face the source of the voice. Naruto was leaning by the door to the storage room of the hut. His face was partially hidden in the shadows while his blue eyes shone with an inner light that seemed to draw her in. Finally, he was tossing a ball of compressed water which was transforming into ice before reverting back to water with each consecutive throw.

"You would be right there Zabuza. I have an offer for you. Not as a Konoha Ninja, but as the Daimyō of Uzu no Kuni. Will you hear me out?"

Though it seemed to have been posed like a question, both Zabuza and Haku knew that Naruto would continue, even if they declined. Besides, it wasn't like they had anything to lose hearing him out. "Sure, go on ahead. Not like I have any pressing appointment!"

Naruto nodded, "Good decision. If you had declined, then I am afraid you would have been sent to the pure world." Zabuza and Haku shivered at the tone, but kept quiet as Naruto continued. "Now to my offer is simple. As I am a Daimyō, I am one of the few people that can pardon you for your crimes. What I want is that you pledge your loyalty to Uzu on Kuni and help me rebuilt Uzushiogakure no Satō. In return, I will help you free Kiri. That's what your ambition is, right? Save Kiri from the self-destructive phase it is going through with the Bloodline Purges."

Zabuza and Haku gawked at Naruto in shock. This was the first time someone realized Zabuza's true goal. Everyone thought that Zabuza was just the common power-hungry traitor, especially with his bloody reputation. "What's the catch? I get that I will become a Shinobi under the Uzumaki Clan and later the reformed Uzushiogakure, but that can't be the only catch!"

Naruto grinned, "You are right, the catch is that you will have to give up Kubikiribōchō. In return, I will help you forge one a sword that will rival the nine sacred treasures of the Uzumaki, to be exact it will rival the Kurai Gisei no Ha."

"The Blade of Dark Immolation! The same sword that Uzumaki Tsukihana used when the Kaguya Clan invaded Uzu five hundred years ago? The sword that is said to be blessed by the Sun Goddess Amaterasu herself!" Zabuza asked with incredulity while Haku looked at the two in confusion. Seeing the confused look, Zabuza clarified, "Uzumaki Tsukihana was a legendary swordswoman. Her sword had the ability to summon the flames of Amaterasu-sama herself. The black flames that completely consumed only the target, leaving the rest unharmed. Tsukihana-sama fought against the three hundred Kaguya alone and lost her life. It is said that as she was dying, she merged her spirit with the sword allowing it to become sentient granting it even greater power. A new form that is said to be able to reduce the world to ashes. As her last act, she released an inferno that reduced every enemy in the battlefield to ashes leaving the trees and allies unharmed. To forge a new sword that can rival such a legendary artefact, you can see why I am shocked."

Haku nodded in understanding before Naruto interrupted, "The story is not completely true. In truth, Tsukihana-san didn't infuse her spirit into the sword as she died. She infused her spirit as the sword was being forged. And she died using the swords most powerful technique, Zanjitsu Gokui. It clads the user in black flames that makes the user completely impervious to any physical attack. Only high powered raiton jutsu can penetrate the flames as it absorbs all other fire and incinerates corporeal elements. Anything touching the black flames will be instantly incinerated. Keeping the technique active too long will cause the flames to consume to user as well."

"If I did accept, why would you trust me? I don't have the stellar track record of being loyal."

"Oh I have ways to ensure loyalty, but I don't think I will need them. Instead I will apply a seal that will paralyze you if you think of betraying me or mine."

"Now to the young lady. Haku, right?" Haku nodded confused at what Naruto wanted with her. "I know your ability. You are one of the last Hyōton users in the world. The last of the Yuki clan. I can feel the icy chakra flowing through you. I will allow you to recreate your Clan in Uzu and grant you the rank of Nobility in my country. There are a few more survivors spread around the world, I am sure of it. I will help you find them as well. No one can hide from my sensory abilities. The only catch is absolute loyalty to Uzu."

"You would allow me to reform my Clan and elevate it to Noble status?" Haku asked with surprise.

"I will only do it with the first six clans to join or form in the reformed Uzu. Now that I think about it, Zabuza I will allow you to create your own clan as long as you find a worthy enough reason to be allowed to form a Clan. The sword I will forge shall be your family heirloom. So what do you say?"

"Can we get some time to think about it? You offer much and all of it life changing. It isn't an easy decision. We will tell you our decision in three weeks on the bridge. We won't attack before then." Naruto nodded before fading from existence.

"He was a clone!" Haku asked in shock. Zabuza just nodded before saying, "What do you think Haku? Should we accept his offer?"

"I don't know Zabuza-sama. To be served such an offer on a golden plate, I can't help but suspect subterfuge." Haku said with concern. Zabuza nodded before saying, "We have three weeks to accept or deny the offer. If we deny, then we will also have to forfeit our lives."

"I don't think he would kill us, if we abandon our mission and never show up at the bridge." Haku said with uncertainty.

"That may be true, but what if he takes offense and hunts us down. He is a Daimyō after all. Nobility, permission to create a clan, recreate in your case and clearing of all charges. If he is sincere, then we would have more than ever before. At least a safe home, even if he doesn't give the former. So retreat isn't an option." Haku nodded in agreement before walking out of the hut calling out, "I will be back soon with the medicinal herbs Zabuza-sama. Please don't strain yourself while I am gone."

* * *

"Zori, send word to Iwa. I have a job for them!" Gatō said with a confidence.

"Are you sure boss? You know that we can't get out a deal with a village!" Zori said with a nervous expression.

"Who says, we kill the survivors and say they all died against the enemy. Then we don't pay them because we had to kill the targets ourselves," Gatō said with a grin. "Not like anyone can survive an onslaught of hundreds of samurai."

Zori just shared an unsure look with Waraji before nodding. "As you wish boss, but don't come complaining to me when the deal turns sour!"

* * *

Teams 7 and 10 sat quietly as they had dinner with Tazuna and his family. Everyone was quiet because of the irritated aura Naruto was giving off and glaring at Asuma from time to time. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.

After dinner was finished, Sakura, Ino and Fū offered to help with the dishes and quickly retreated from the room in fear of the impending fireworks. Shikamaru was warily looking from his sensei to Naruto and back. Chōji was for once, not eating anything, nervously looking at the scene from the back of the room. Sasuke and Kakashi were leaning on the wall beside the main door and watching with hidden amusement. Tazuna was on his back, completely unconscious from over drinking.

After a few more minutes of tense silence, Asuma finally spoke up, "Did I do anything to irritate you Naruto-sama?"

"You tell me?" Naruto said with an emotionless tone.

Asuma sweated in realization of what he had done to irritate Naruto, but decided to play dumb in hopes of not being scolded too much. He was not going to be able to live down a second scolding. Not with Kakashi watching it. "Ah… I don't think I have done anything to offend you?"

"Really? Then what about laziness? What about not training your Genin Team enough before taking them on a C-Rank Mission. What about not training yourself back to your prime? The same power you had when you were a member of Hideyoshi-dono's guard!" Asuma flinched at each of the points Naruto made.

Normally, Asuma would have told Naruto that he had no authority to scold a Jōnin on his actions, but with the Fire Daimyō and the Hokage giving Naruto the orders to train a select few shinobi, among whom he, himself was included, Naruto had all the right to scold him.

"You are pathetic. The very first training session you participated to learn Ninshu, you saw that your stamina had diminished. Your chakra has grown, but you haven't trained to maintain your control. You failed to train your Genin to increase their chakra reserves appreciably. If am not mistaken, you wouldn't have taught them the Tree Climbing and Water Walking techniques yet. Luckily I did during Ninshu training. Most of all, you should have easily defeated Zabuza. Both in skill and if you had bothered to learn a few more powerful Fūton ninjutsu, not to mention if you used Ninshu. You have earth for Kami's sake. You could have easily defeated Zabuza with Earth ninshu. But you never thought of using Ninshu at all. You panicked and reverted to old habits. In doing so, you had endangered your students and your client. You shouldn't have accepted the mission in the first place. We all know C-Rank missions can easily escalate to higher rank. You have failed in being a sensei and a shinobi of Konoha. I am very disappointed. If you are not interested in applying the arts of Ninshu to your style, then don't bother coming back to learn, but make sure to be a better sensei. Your father trained three legendary shinobi, even if one of them became a traitor, he was a great sensei and he did that while he was Hokage. Hell, even Konohamaru would be a better sensei, only because he isn't lazy. Clean up your act Asuma before you get your team, yourself and your comrades killed!"

Naruto stood up and left without another word, leaving the rest in an uncomfortable silence. After a couple of moments, Shikamaru sighed and said, "Damn that was terrifying, troublesome blonde. No emotion. I didn't even think Naruto could become emotionless like tkat!"

"You should clean up your act as well Shika before Naruto turns his attention on you. You and sensei have been lazy playing shogi so much. Even Ino has been training hard. Did you see how easily she defeated the Oni Kyōdai with only her Air Ninshu."

"Tomorrow morning, meet me for training at 5 AM sharp. Kakashi, make sure you aren't late and I already let the girls know. I will take first patrol tonight and scout for a training area nearby as well." Naruto said phasing into existence before phasing out.

"That is scary, how he can create and dispel his clones without smoke." Chōji said with a nervous laugh.

"Asuma, don't take Naruto's words too hard. He is only looking out for us. Also, strategy is good, but being unable to implement it helps no one. You always had that problem. Now I am going to bed. I really don't want Naruto to put those stupid resistance and gravity seals on me again." Kakashi said before leaving the room. Sasuke followed his sensei but just before leaving he smirk and said, "I advise you all to have a good night's sleep. Naruto's training will make you wish you were in the ninth circle of hell."

"He didn't really mean that, right Shika?" Chōji asked with uncertainty.

"If Sasuke is saying that, then I have no reason to doubt it. Troublesome, no wonder Naruto and Sakura are so strong!"

* * *

"Tsuchikage-sama! I have urgent news for you!" A Chunin said rushing into the Tsuchikage's office.

"Well what is it? I don't have all night you know!" Ōnoki said with a frown as the Chunin caught his breath. After a few moments of panting, the Chunin stood up and handed the aged Tsuchikage a scroll. The Tsuchikage read the information which seemed to be a request for an Assassination Mission. As Ōnoki read further, his eyebrows rose higher at the information. Placing the scroll down, Ōnoki took out a bingo book and opened it to the target page.

* * *

 _Name: Uzumaki Naruto  
Title: Bijū Sennin_

 _Gender: Male  
Age: 12+  
Father: Namikaze Minato  
Mother: Uzumaki Kushina_

 _Rank: Genin/Sennin_

 _Taijutsu: High S  
Ninjutsu: High S  
Genjutsu: Mid A  
Fūinjutsu: High S (Uzumaki)  
Bukijutsu: N/A  
Chakra: High Bijū level  
Affinity: All_

 _Threat Ranking: High S  
Assessment: Do not engage unless in a team with an S-Ranked individual.  
Bounty: N/A_

 _Notes: Fully realized Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōkō. Accomplished sensor with the ability to sense emotions and life-force. During an evaluation, was able to defeat a number of mid to high A-Ranked on team vs. one combat. Raikage personally observed the evaluation and have come to this assessment._

* * *

Ōnoki looked at the entry with a horrified visage. He couldn't believe what he was reading. If what Kumo had published was true, then they had a dangerous enemy out there. How his spies missed the information, he didn't know, but this was information that could tip the balance of power.

"ANBU get the council together. I don't care if they are sleeping, or busy! Have them in the council chambers within ten minutes, even if you have to drag them out in their pyjamas!" Ōnoki ordered as his son walked into the room.

"What's going on Father?" Kitsuchi asked with concern, "It seems you are expecting an invasion."

"Ah Kitsuchi! It's good that you are here, here read this!" Ōnoki said giving Kitsuchi the bingo book with the page open. Kitsuchi nodded and read the information before paling in realization of what he read.

"That man had a son?" Ōnoki nodded causing Kitsuchi to pale even further. "What are we going to do? We are still enemies with Konoha. If Konoha decides to attack, with that kid leading, it will be a massacre. Especially if Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin join in. We can't let Kurotsuchi know. She will head out and try to kill him herself!"

"I know. I don't want to anger Konoha, but we were asked for an Assassination Mission. The target is being guarded by Uzumaki, Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma. Do you think I should accept? We can try and kill Uzumaki during the mission without fear of repercussions, but should we?"

"I don't know father, but my vote is to not involve ourselves with this affair. We aren't ready for a war, nor do I think we will succeed in trying to kill Uzumaki. Are you calling the council meeting to discuss this?"

"That's right, you think I shouldn't?"

"I would say yes, but not letting them know now would come back and bite you later. Besides, you don't need to accept any of their demands. Iwa is not a democracy after all."

"You are right Kitsuchi. Even if they want, I don't have to accept the mission if I think it is not worth it."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were holding up Shikamaru between them. Behind them Fū was supporting Chōji while carrying a barely conscious Ino on her back. In front of them Kakashi and Asuma were walking, but if one observed carefully, they could see they were barely standing.

"Naruto is a slave driver. A real demon!" Ino whispered causing Fū to giggle.

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"Speak for yourself sister! Stupid Jinchūriki and their massive stamina!" Ino grumbled causing Fū to giggle even more.

"Don't complain Ino, if Naruto hears you complain, he will only increase your reps." Sakura said with a grin causing the blonde haired girl to audibly groan.

"I can't feel my legs!' Shikamaru grumbled causing Sasuke to smirk and say, "At least you are still conscious. I was out cold the first few times."

"What did I do to deserve such punishment?" Chōji groaned, not even having any energy to eat his potato chips.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Kirigakure no Kijin = Demon of the Hidden Mist Village_**

 ** _Oni Kyōdai = Demon Brothers_**

 ** _Kubikiribōchō = Decapitating Carving Knife_**

 ** _Bukijutsu = Weapon Skills_**

 ** _Oinin = Hunter Ninja_**

 ** _Kurai Gisei no Ha = Blade of Dark Immolation_**

 ** _Uzushiogakure no Satō = The Village Hidded among the Whirlpools_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu = Water Release: Hidding in Mist Technique_**

 ** _Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu = Water Release: Water Prison Technique_**

 ** _Uzumaki Hijutsu: 7-Ten saisei shōheki = Uzumaki Secret Technique: Seven Point Regeneration Barrier_**

 ** _Fūton: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken_**

 ** _Zanjitsu Gokui = Remnant Sun Prison Flames_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	12. Chapter 11 - Waves of Change Part II

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_ _"_

* * *

 _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 11** **– Waves of Change Part II**

It had been a week since the Konoha shinobi, Fū and Tazuna had their encounter with Zabuza and Haku. Throughout the week, Naruto had the genin train while the jōnin took turns watching over Tazuna at the construction site.

Everyone was sitting having finished their evening meal when Ino saw a family picture with the face of one of the members torn off. Being the inquisitive young kunoichi she was, she turned to Tsunami and asked, "Tsunami-san, who is that? The one with the face torn off?"

Tsunami looked at the photo with a melancholic expression and sighed before speaking, "That's was my second husband, Inari's stepfather, Kaiza. He was executed for standing against Gato. When Inari was younger, he saved Inari's life and ever since, Inari had idolized him. His death hit all of us hard, but Inari was the most devastated."

Everyone turned to look at the young boy drop his head in sadness. After a moment of silence, Chōji spoke up, "He reminds me of the Yondaime Hokage, Naruto's father. The Yondaime sacrificed himself to defeat the Kyūbi. There are very few heroes like them."

"I always like to think that he did it for me and not the village!" Naruto said with a grin causing Inari to look at the blonde with anger.

"Sensei was a true hero, just like your husband was. No matter their reason, they sacrifice themselves for their loved ones and their beliefs." Kakashi said with a melancholic expression.

Inari exploded in anger, "There are no heroes! Only fools who end up getting killed and leave their loved ones to suffer! And why do you all try so hard? You all will only get killed in the end. Gato's too strong! You don't know what we suffered! So stop trying to understand us!"

Chōji, Ino and Sasuke bristled in anger as Naruto stood up. Sighing, Naruto was engulfed in a yellow cloak of energy. Beside him, Sakura had stood up as well, the seal on her forehead activating, spreading down her face and hands. Each took out a kunai before plunging it into their guts before harshly pulling them out in a flood of blood.

Everyone watched in horror and amazement as the wounds smoked and healed up in moments. Before anyone could voice any questions, Sakura spoke up, "Listen kid, we are shinobi. It means we are walking with death. Death is a part of our profession. It's either kill or be killed in most cases. Unfortunately for our enemies, the technique you see me using now makes me practically immortal. I would like to see some one kill an immortal!"

"And my power is shared between nine individuals. With proper training, Fū will achieve the same ability. It's something common among proficient demon containers. That's right both of us contain demons within us. The energy you see surrounding me is the full power of the Kyūbi no Yōkō. I would like to see a normal human handle an imperfect jinchūriki, let alone a perfect one like me. And suffering, we jinchūriki are treated like the demons and outcasts. Don't try to tell me your suffering is at the same level we jinchūriki suffer! Kakashi-sensei, I am out of here!"

"Naruto! Wait, I am coming with you." Sakura said before rushing after he blonde teammate.

"Should we send someone after them?" Asuma asked with concern only for Sasuke to snort.

"After the show they put on, I doubt there is any fear of them dying. Hell, I didn't even know that Sakura had such a technique. With that alone, she would be S-class. I always thought the seal on her forehead was a chakra store. I didn't realize it could be released to activate such a powerful technique."

"Sasuke has a point. Not only does Sakura has her monstrous strength, she also has a instant regeneration technique. I really don't want to fight against her. Besides, their team work is scarily proficient. Together, they both have the skill and power to take down most jōnin and Anbu." Kakashi said with nonchalance. Asuma nodded in agreement before turning to the frozen family.

"Are they really immortal?" Tsunami asked in shock causing Fū to chuckle and say, "Technically yes, but they are still flesh and blood humans. I can agree with the regeneration factor, though I don't have the same level as Naruto-sama."

After that statement, the shinobi stood up and left the room, one by one.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were sleeping on the grass in the clearing. Naruto was on his back with Sakura beside him. Interestingly, when they fell asleep, Sakura had just laid down a couple of feet from Naruto. Now, she was cuddled up right beside him with her head resting on his chest.

Haku had walked into the clearing and was surprised by the sleeping shinobi. She entertained the thought of assassinating the duo before shaking her head. What was she thinking? Naruto probably had hidden clones around for just such a situation. Besides, Zabuza-sama had already decided to accept the young Daimyō's offer. Nodding to herself, she quietly approached the sleeping duo before extending an arm to wake them up.

Just before she could touch Naruto, a hand clenched her wrist. "And what were you planning to do Oinin-san? I know that the knucklehead teammate of mine has offered you and Zabuza a place in Uzu, so for your sake, I hope that your only plan was to wake the idiot up?"

Haku nodded with a nervious sigh as Sakura satup, not even reacting to the intimate position she was in with her teammate.

"She had no malicious intentions Sakura-chan. Besides, I knew she was approaching long before she reached the clearing." Naruto said sitting up.

Sakura nodded before letting go of Haku's wrist. "So tell me what do you want?"

"You still have two weeks to accept or decline Haku. No need to be nervous." Naruto said gently as Sakura stood up and stretched. The popping of bones echoed throughout the clearing.

Haku swallowed before saying, "I was just going to wake you. It is fortunate that we have met, Zabuza-sama has agreed to the deal. Anyway we will still be there on the bridge. Zabuza-sama's suggestion is that we put on a show until Gato appears with his thugs. We know that he would as I have personally overheard him talking with his two most trusted men about swarming us with Ronin. The only stipulation is that Zabuza-sama gets to battle against Hatake Kakashi!"

Naruto nodded with a smile. "Agreed. I will inform Kakashi-sensei. We will see you in two weeks time then! Do you need help with gathering herbs? I have a small herb garden and Sakura is a fully certified Iryōnin."

Haku bowed in appreciation, "I would be most honoured to accept your help!"

"Then let's get to it!" Sakura said as she, Haku and Naruto more towards the edge of the clearing in search of medicinal herbs.

During the hour the trio gathered herbs, they made small talk about their lives. Haku explained her situation to Sakura as she herself explained the cover story for her and Naruto's strength to Haku. At the end, Sakura could say that Haku was a friend and vice versa.

"Thank you for your help. Don't worry, I will let Zabuza-sama know that I have informed you as soon as he is lucid again." Haku said before disappearing in a shunshin as Naruto nodded in understanding.

After Haku left, Sakura nodded to Naruto before leaving in a shunshin herself calling out, "See you back at Tazuna's Naruto!"

"She's gone, you can come out now Gobi!" Naruto said after a few moments. In a flash of steam, the Gobi Jinchūriki, Han of Iwa appeared.

"So your sensory skills were true and no exaggeration! Or was it your demon?" Han asked with a mocking sneer.

Naruto didn't rise to the bait as he raised his right fist to the Iwanin. Han raised an eyebrow before bumping his armored fist with Naruto's. They stayed like that for a few moments before Han withdrew his fist and nodded to Naruto.

"We see but we must still keep up appearances. Also, I want to test myself out against you. See you in two weeks Uzumaki!" Han said before vanishing in a burst of steam. Naruto stared at the place Han occupied for a few moments longer before shrugging and vanishing in a swirl of wind.

* * *

A wave of flames blasted out of the fist of Sasuke intent on drowning his opponent in a sea of flames. Unfortunately, his opponent easily redirected the flames with a swing of her leg. The blast of wind was enough to kick up a dust cloud.

Jumping back, Sasuke peered into the dust cloud trying to gauge where Ino was only to be blasted back by a swirling wave of winds. Jumping back onto his feet, Sasuke started a combo of fast kicks and lunges releasing waves and cones of red hot flames, hoping to smother Ino with the onslaught.

Ino watched with calculating eyes as the waves of fire flew at her. Taking a deep breath, the Yamanaka heiress closed her eyes and emersed herself into the flow of air around her. Everyone watched in shock as the young girl easily dodged the waves of flames and redirected the ones she couldn't with barely any movement.

Sasuke grited his teeth in anger. All his life, he has learned that fire is strong against wind and weak against water. Now here, Ino was countering him at every turn with only her air bending. This was absurd. Then there were his prodigious skills in the Ninja arts, Ino was just a mediocre kunoichi at best, but in only a couple of months time, she was skillful enough to give him a challenge. How was she able to do that. Without realizing, Sasuke let his anger cloud his judgement and flow with his bending. Jumping into the air with jets of fire that supported him turning blue, Sasuke did a front flip releasing a massive wave of blue flames at Ino.

Seeing the suddenly different flames, Ino panicked and focused her mind in directing as much air she could to try and redirect the flames. To everyone's surprise, the flames stopped and battled with the concentrated ball of air before the air ball absorbed the flames. Everyone watched in shock as the ball suddenly shrunk, glowing like the sun before exploding in a massive ball of flames.

Everyone cried out Ino and Sasuke's name when Naruto appeared and waved his hand at the rapidly expanding flames. The flames warped before fizzling out. At the same time, clones of his had caught the airborne Sasuke and Ino.

"You let your emotions into your bending again Sasuke. I can understand that you were frustrated, but letting your emotions into your fire bending will only lead to disaster. Until you can control your emotions, try and keep a blank state of mind. Fire is second most difficult element to control. Do you know why your flames turned blue?"

Sasuke shook his head in disappointment as Naruto spoke up, "You let your anger and frustration taint the flames you produced. If you keep that up, lightning generation will be out of your league as it requires a stable state of mind. A balance between Yin and Yang. I would advise you to join Fū in her meditation exercises."

Sasuke nodded before In spoke up, "How did you overpower the explosion?"

Naruto chuckled as he said, "I didn't over power it. I starved it."

"Huh... What do you mean Naruto?" Ino asked with confusion only for Asuma to answer, "You drew away the air around the flames to snuff the explosion out. Without air, not even chakra flames would survive."

"You know Ino, wind doesn't just flow in a single direction like water. If needed, wind splits up and reconnects at a later point. Be like the wind, you are an air bender. You must act like the wind. Don't always go with the obvious path. Besides, redirection isn't the right option every time. What would happen if you accidentally redirect an attack at an ally?"

Ino bowed her head in shame when Naruto spoke, "But all things considered, you are doing quite well for someone who just started learning bending a little more than a month ago. I only ask that you think of your options more. Also, don't panic like you did at the end. Now keep it up!"

Ino squealed in delight and hugged her fellow blonde causing Sakura to narrow her eyes in annoyance. After a moment, Ino let go of a surprised Naruto and walked back to her team with a flirty smile. Naruto blushed in embarrassment before coughing and turning to Sakura. "Since everyone has had a spar other than us, how about we have a bout with all your skill? Unless you are scared?"

"Only if you use only ninshu and basic Ninja arts, no senjutsu or Kyūbi Chakra Cloak!" Sakura said getting a nod from Naruto.

Both of them jumped back and faced each other. "Everyone watch carefully. Especially you Sasuke and Asuma. I will be showing you more advanced bending skills. Kakashi-sensei, can you be the mediator?"

"Sure thing Naruto. Take your positions! On the counter of three, THREE... TWO... ONE... HAJIME!" Kakashi said jumping back to the edge of the clearing. As soon as Kakashi was out of the way, Sakura raised up a boulder and kicked it towards Naruto.

Smiling, Naruto swung his right arm in an arc before striking towards the boulder with two fingers extended. A concentrated beam of lightning flew from the fingertips and blasted the boulder into dust covering the field in dust and smoke.

As the smoke and dust cleared, everyone saw that Sakura was gone. Everyone wondered what Sakura was about to do when Naruto raised his right foot up and slammed it onto the ground. Suddenly the ground a couple of feet away from Naruto erupted revealing a bruised Sakura.

"Wow! His sensory skills are even greater than I realized!" Asuma said with shock only for Sakura to say, "Using neutral jing style of bending you were talking about? You listened to the vibrations through the bottom of your feet!"

"You should try to use it. If you become skilled enough, you gain a powerful sensory ability that will allow you to sense anything connected to the earth. It would rival the sensory skills of a Sennin." Naruto said as Sakura nodded before throwing a few shuriken at Naruto, expecting the blonde to dodge or block.

"Are you mocking me Sakura-chan? You know that these are useless against me!" Naruto said as he waved his hands at the shuriken. Everyone watched with awe as the shuriken came to a stop a few feet from the blonde before changing shape into small arrows floating around Naruto. Naruto grinned before punching towards Sakura causing the arrows to fly towards her.

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura analyzed the situation and came to the startling conclusion that Naruto had bended the recidual earth in the metal. Jumping to the side, Sakura waved her hands, trying to redirect the arrows. Surprisingly, the arrows changed their path. Not noticible by those on the sidelines, but easily noticible by Naruto and Sakura. The arrows flew and struck the tree a bit to the side of the place directly behind Sakura's previous position.

"How did Naruto do that?" Chōji asked with surprise, dropping his bag of chips.

Sakura smirked and said, "You bended the trace earthly impurities in the metal! Thanks for showing me. I just need to develop my skills in bending metal. Now don't blink!"

Naruto grinned and nodded as Sakura suddenly vanished before reappearing in front of Naruto, surprising the blonde and trying to punch him in the gut. Surprisingly, the attack landed and launched the blonde back before he burst into a red mist shocking everyone.

"What?" Ino asked in shock.

"Is that some kind of new clone?" Asuma asked when Shikamaru said, "It must be a prototype blood clone he was talking about with the Kage's."

"I agree with Shikamaru, now the question is, where is Naruto and when did he change?"

Sakura in that time had drawn up a massive amount of water from the surrounding ground and plants and started bending it into an octopus like shape around her. Taking a deep breath, Sakura suddenly lashed towards one of the trees with one tentacle of water when a blade of wind sliced through the tentacle. Before the separated water could land on the ground, it froze and flew towards Sakura in a wave of ice senbon.

Without batting an eye, Sakura grinned as she directed the water around her to form a wall and freeze right as the ice senbon struck the now frozen wall and shattered. Not wasting time, Sakura unfroze the wall and started to quickly jab into the wall causing jagged chunks of ice to fly towards Naruto.

Smiling, Naruto swung his leg and released a golden coloured flame that easily vaporized the ice chunks and continued to fly towards Sakura who let go of the water and took control of the earth and brought forth a large slab of bedrock that easily withstood the flames. Bringing her fists back, Sakura started to quickly jab into the rock wall causing large chunks of rock to fly at Naruto, this time with the added reassurance of Naruto being not able to melt the rocks.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto got into a free flowing stance and started to dodge the jagged pieces of earth with the grace of a dancer, aweing everyone. As the rain of earth petered out, Naruto grinned before jumping into the air and kicking at Sakura releasing a wave of blue flames much hotter than Sasuke's.

Seeing the powerful flames flying towards her, Sakura took a deep breath before drawing in as much water as she could from the surrounding ground and plants. Unlike last time, this time the plants withered into dust and the ground broke up. Directing the water, Sakura quickly created a dome of ice around her before adding a jagged rock hut inside the dome to protect herself.

Everyone watched as the flames struck the ice dome. At first it seemed that the ice would survive but suddenly cracks started froming all over the surface before the flames seeped into the ice giving it an eeire blue glow. The glow mesmerized everyone before blue flames started erupting from the cracks just as the ice vaporized. As the flames faded, everyone saw the remains of a hastily constructed closed rock hut. The hut was melted at places dripping red lava.

Naruto observed the scene with cold indifference. He knew that it wasn't enough to take Sakura down and to prove his point, the hot rock suddenly became dust and mixed with the molten rock, adding to it's mass.

Without even realizing, Sakura threw her hands forward causing a tentacle of molten rock to flow towards Naruto catching the boy by surprise. Jumping back, sweating from the sweltering heat, Naruto launched a massive wave of compressed lighting, blowing the lava apart before launching multiple small balls of rock at the exhausted Sakura.

Though the pink haired medic could see the balls approaching, she was too exhausted from the heat to retaliate and was consequently knocked unconscious. Seeing that Sakura was unconscious, Kakashi declared the spar over.

"That was intense, but it seems that both kept to mostly ninshu even though the rules allowed them to use the Ninja arts." Ino said with a sigh.

"I did t even know Sakura could bend lava. I know Naruto said that with enough practice, an earth bender can learn lava bending, but to watch it up close was awesome!" Chōji said with excitement.

"Sakura bended the lava with instinct. That took a lot out of her." Sasuke said as everyone watched Naruto kneel on the ground beside the unconscious Sakura. A green flame erupted in his hands as he placed them on Sakura's stomach and head.

"What is he doing now?" Fū asked in confusion as the flames engulfed Sakura before receding. As the flames vanished, all the bruises on Sakura were gone as well. Picking up Sakura in his arms, Naruto looked at everyone and said, "The rejuvenating flames have healed her, but she still needs rest so I am taking her to Tazuna's. I will see you all later." Naruto said before vanishing in a swirling of wind.

* * *

"When do you think we should attack Han?" Kitsuchi asked the Gobi Jinchūriki.

"Why do we need to ask Han? The kids young. He doesn't have the experience his father had. He may be strong, but we can take him!" A kunoichi said with confidence only for Han and Kitsuchi to glare at the upstart.

"Don't underestimate Uzumaki because of his age. That would only lead to a swift defeat. Besides he is a perfect Jinchūriki. He has full access to the Kyūbi's chakra. He may just be an even greater threat than his father!" Kitsuchi said with contempt. "Besides, he may know Namikaze's prized Hiraishin. The report says that he is good in fuinjutsu. He could have many Uzumaki clan techniques under his control. Techniques that was able to destroy the coalition army."

All the Iwa Jōnin gulped in realization of the precarious situation they were in. One small mistake, and they return to Iwa in a body bag.

"Uzumaki has made a deal with Zabuza and his accomplice. They will meet at the bridge in one and a half weeks. We should ambush them then, though I have a feeling Gato will try and double cross everyone."

"Why would you say that Han?"

"Simple Kitsuchi, Zabuza's apprentice overheard Gato tell his men that they will be ambushing the survivors on the bridge." Han said getting a raised eyebrow from Kitsuchi.

* * *

"I didn't think Iwa was so desperate that the old Tsuchikage would send a genin after me. Granted, I am officially a genin myself, so you may also have hidden abilities, but still, his own granddaughter?"

The pink eyed girl's eyes widened in shock before a pair of hands clamped down on her mouth and waist. Vanishing in a swirl of wind, Naruto and his captive reappeared beside Han, to the shock of the Iwanin.

"You all should keep an eye on your genin. I expected an ambush from Iwa, but a genin is too much, ne?"

"Kurotsuchi?"

"Ah... Hello daddy..." Kurotsuchi awkwardly said with her nervousness easily leaking into her tone.

"I can easily kill her you know?" Naruto said creating a small jet of fire in his clenched fist. He positioned the jet like a knife at Kurotsuchi's throat.

"You think you can escape here if you harm a single hair on Kurotsuchi-sama's head?" The kunoichi from before shouted causing Kitsuchi to glare at the fool.

Naruto grinned and was about to speak when he felt a kunai pierce his gut. Letting the girl go, Naruto clutched his stomach to see blood flowing through the gaps if his fingers. Naruto chuckled, "You have spunk, I will tell you that, but how did you know that I am not a clone?"

"Simple, no clone has a heartbeat! Besides, you are bleeding, aren't you? Clones don't bleed!" Kurotsuchi said with a smug grin. "You should know that I had poisoned the kunai with a fast acting nerve agent that kills normal humans in moments. Being a Jinchūriki, I say you have a few minutes at most. Die Namikaze for the sins of your father!"

Everyone watched in shock at the turn of events, even Han was surprised. Naruto grinned, coughing up blood, "Kawai little Kunoichi, taking revenge for her fallen comrades. If I followed your logic, then I should have went and completely destroy Iwa, Kumo and Kiri for the massacre of my clan. Revenge isn't the answer. It only leads to more bloodshed and pain. An eternal circle of hatred that can only be broken if the next generation gives up on the hatred."

As Naruto finished with a cold tone, he dissipated into a red mist. The red mist flowed away leaving behind a dark purple mist. The red mist condensed into a glob of blood before it refirmed into Naruto surprising everyone.

"You should know that in the world of ninja, anything is possible. A clone that bleeds and has a heartbeat? Doesn't exist, then make one! I warn you now, abandon the mission, or I will be forced to take your lives and then raise Iwa to the ground. I don't like holding grudges, but when the lives of innocent bystanders are threatened, all gloves are off!"

A shiver ran down everyone's spine, even Han's right before Naruto dissipated into a cloud of blood and flew away. After they were sure that Naruto was gone, the Iwanin finally relaxed.

"What kind of jutsu is that?" Kurotsuchi asked in awe when Kitsuchi grabbed the girl by the ear.

"A better question is; what are you doing here Kurotsuchi? This is an S-ranked mission. Also, you have cone here without permission. That is grounds for a court-martial! Father can mark you as a Nukenin! Did you think of that? Then you were caught by the Target and alerted him. Worse, you actually gave him the true reason why we are here and our position!"

"Give the kid a break. Uzumaki knew we were here from the moment we arrived." Han said to the surprise of everyone. This was the first time Han stood up for someone. "Besides kid, you mother died during a war. Uzumaki was right, revenge isn't the answer. Hatred only leads to pain and suffering. I have faced it until I proved myself. We are shinobi, our job is to kill. Everyone of us here have killed, even you. If the surviving kin of all our victims started lusting for our heads, even we would be overwhelmed. During the war, just like Namikaze massacred our battalion, I myself have massacred many teams. I don't see Konoha coming for my head. It was a time of war, nothing personal. Your mother was a hero, besides she died at the hands of Jiraiya of the Sannin, not Namikaze Minato. She was a member of my team. Her sacrifice allowed me to escape!"

With his piece said, Han vanished in a burst of steam. Everyone stared at the place for a few moments before Kurotsuchi collapsed as the adrenaline disappeared from her bloodstream. With tears flowing freely, Kurotsuchi turned to her father and asked, "Dud mom really sacrifice herself so that Han could live?"

Kitsuchi nodded with a somber expression, "That's right. A Jinchūriki is more important in the long run than an Elite Jōnin. Your mother and her two chunnin comrades held Jiraiya of the Sannin back so that we wouldn't lose Han. If they didn't, the loss of life on our side would have been worse. Besides, I don't hold a grudge against a fellow shinobi for doing his duty. If I had a jutsu like the Hiraishin, then I would have done the same as Namikaze did to protect my country. If you really need to hate, hate the cause of the death, war and the reason behind it! You are lucky to be alive."

As Kitsuchi walked away, Kurotsuchi wiped her eyes and stood up. As she followed her father, Kurotsuchi heard the other Iwanin discussing the jutsu Uzumaki had used. Some of the theories were so ludicrous that Kurotsuchi had to work hard to stifle her laughter.

"I think he is a demon. There's no other way one can burst I to a cloud of blood and reform again!"

"No I think he caught us all in a subtle illusion. That's why he was able to do such things."

"Then how do you explain Han seeing the same? He is immune to Genjutsu!"

"May be, it was a blood clone?"

"A kid creating a clone technique that was marked as kinjutsu even to research it? Ha... And I am the Tsuchikage!"

* * *

Tazuna watched in awe as multitudes of Naruto clones were rushing about helping his workers. Some were even applying what the blonde had called seals to enhance the durability of the different key components of the bridge. Beside him Asuma was leaning on a stack of wooden logs, smoking a cigarette.

"Amazing what he can do, isn't it?" Tazuna looked at Asuma with a stunned experssion. What can he say in response.

"Chōji, Sakura! On my mark, we will move the block into position... NOW!" Shikamaru called as he and his fellow earth benders lifted by a massive block of stone and lowered it down on the unfinished pillar. "Now Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Sasuke! Melt it into place!"

Nodding, the trio of Konoha ninja jumped into the wooden scaffolding around the pillar and started generating lightning and intense flames. Sasuke and Naruto melted the rock causing it to flow and seal up the gap while Kakashi focused his lightning to chip away at the excess rock.

After the trio finished, they jumped back on to the bridge and nodded to Ino and Fū. They nodded and jumped on to the scaffolding before conjuring streams of ice cold winds and had them buffet the molten seam between the to blocks.

"You know, I knew that your ninja magic was powerful enough to kill many people and heal instantly, but I never could have guessed that your magic could be used like this."

Kakashi chuckled as he heard Tazuna's proclamation. "This isn't really ninjutsu. This is ninshu. An art that was originally developed by the Rikudō Sennin. It was meant to be used for self defense and spiritual communication. It was lost for millennia until Naruto started bringing it back and teaching us. Even we didn't realize the true implications of ninshu until now. What we are doing is infact training. Naruto seems to have a way of transforming what we consider boring D-rank missions into interesting training methods. With ninshu, I believe Naruto's wish is to make ninshu into a way of life, applied to even the most menial of tasks."

"That's what it was meant to be Kakashi-sensei. Tazuna, can you tell me what happened to the Nami Daimyō?" Naruto said walking up to the group. Turning around, Naruto called out, "Alright everyone, break for lunch. We will continue later!"

As the genin nodded and went off for a well deserved rest, Tazuna smiled at the boy and said, "Thank you for the help, even if it was meant to be training for your comrades. We are way ahead of schedule. Instead of the end of the month, I project the bridge being completed by the end of the week. Because of that, I feel we can call it a day today!"

As Tazuna said that, cheering erupted from the gathered workers and even the genin. Tazuna nodded to his workers before turning to Naruto, "Daimyō-sama was the first to go. We didn't realize it until Gato had executed Kaiza, but when we challenged Gato by telling him that Daimyō-sama would retaliate, Gato laughed and revealed that he had already killed Daimyō-sama and taken over all of his holdings. From what I heard, Gato even had hime-sama raped in front of her father before he had them killed. Some of Daimyō-sama's court joined Gato others were killed along with their families. Most ran away leaving us to Gato."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger. He nodded before saying, "I see! Here I though the present Daimyō was a tyrant and overstepping his bounds. I will take care of the problem Tazuna. Don't worry about a thing."

Tazuna nodded and was about to speak when a burst of smoke covered the duo. The Konoha shinobi and Fū were alarmed at first but as the smoke cleared, most of them breathed out a sigh in relief.

"Hello Gamakichi, can you and your friend please get off my head with the scrolls please!" Naruto said with a twitch in his eyes.

"Sorry bro, I was sure that we would appear beside you!" Kichi said as he and the blue toad jumped off with the massive scrolls strapped to their backs. After landing in the bridge, Kichi took out a smaller scroll branded with the Uzumaki Clan Mark and handed it to Naruto. "The Samurai Banker man sent this bro. He said that it contains the documents you asked for. Yura, let's drop the scroll now! We need to head back. See you later bro!"

"Thanks for dropping the supplies of so fast you two." Naruto said with a smile.

Kichi just waved a hand while Yura bowed and said, "It was an honor Sennin-sama. If you need anything, just summon Yura!" With her piece said, the two toads vanished in a puff of smoke.

Tazuna stared at the place the two toads occupied with incredulity. As Naruto kneeled down and picked up the two scrolls. As he stood up, Tazuna was surprised by the toad like eyes Naruto now sported.

"What's this about Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he eyed the scrolls with curiosity.

Naruto just grinned and suddenly tossed one of the scrolls to a surprised Fū. After fumbling with the scroll Fū finally strapped it to her back and looked at Naruto with a questioning look.

"Just some supplies the Uzumaki Clan is donating for the citizens of Nami. Fū follow me, we are heading to the Town square. I want to see if Gato has the guts to stop me or take the supplies I am giving."

The mint haired girl nodded as Naruto turned back to Tazuna, "You also follow me Tazuna. I need you to fill me in on the political position of Nami at the moment."

Kakashi was about to follow him when Naruto tossed the small scroll to him. "You all head home and read the scroll. It will fill you in. Don't try to unseal the documents, Takagetsu-san has a habit of trapping such deals with very unpleasant consequences for a thief."

With that said, Naruto, Fū and Tazuna walked towards the middle of town, leaving behind a group of contemplative shinobi.

* * *

"What other secrets do Naruto have? Next he will say that he has figured out time travel!" Ino said with a dramatic expression. Sakura, who was drinking a cup of herbal tea choked but quickly recovered.

With an annoyed expression, the pink haired medic asked, "What did he do now?"

"It seems that Nami no Kuni is a satellite state of Uzu no Kuni. Naruto-sama plans to take full control of it again." Asuma said as he popped a new cigarette into his mouth. Before the Jōnin could even lite it, a senbon made of ice pierced it and flew away, tearing it away from the stunned shinobi's mouth.

"Don't smoke here. You are setting a bad example!" Sakura exclaimed with a sweet smile that sent a shiver down Asuma's spine. "It seems that I need to tell Naruto that you are slacking off again. Didn't I tell you that your smoking habit has deteriorated your lung capacity? It's effecting your stamina. Ino, make sure that he doesn't smoke again!"

Asuma looked at Ino and Sakura with a horrified expression. With Ino and Kurenai harping about quitting and Sakura and Naruto forcing remedial stamina training, his life would become a living nightmare.

Sasuke smirked while the others chuckled at Asuma's expense. Sakura sighed before saying, "So he finally decided to do something about the three satellite states of Uzu, good for him. I was wondering why he didn't do anything about them yet."

"You knew about it already?" Shikamaru asked with intrigue.

Sakura nodded, "That's right. He asked me for advice on the matter. I told him to do as he pleased but for the betterment of the people."

Shikamaru nodded before Tsunami asked, "Is your friend related to a Daimyō?"

Everyone turned to see Tsunami standing at the entrance of the lounge with a tray filled with plates of sandwiches. Everyone laughed confusing the woman. What was so funny about her simple question?

Ino calmed down first and said, "He is not related to any living Daimyō. He is a Daimyō. The Uzu Daimyō, who seems to be the rightful ruler of Nami. Your previous Daimyō's family was a retainer of the Uzumaki entrusted with the care of Nami. It seems that now you are all stuck with him. I will tell you now, Naruto-sama can drive a perfectly sane man insane with just his words. Be careful while listening to his speeches!"

Tsunami looked startled at the revelation. She was about to speak when Inari asked, "But he doesn't act like one!"

"Inari, be respectful!" Tsunami scolded before turning back to the rest if the ninja. Walking forward, Tsunami placed the plate on the middle of the table before settling down herself. After getting comfortable, Tsunami asked, "Why does Naruto-sama endanger himself for commoners like us? He could easily hire strong ninja and samurai to do the job!"

Sasuke chuckled stunning everyone, "This is Naruto we are talking about. His life ambition is true peace, equality and understanding between the nations. He is someone who believes in doing something himself instead of letting others do it for him. To him, his life is just a tool for the betterment of the world. He doesn't care who you are? What your titles are? What rank in society you belong to? Only thing he cares for is whether you are good or bad and if you are a threat to what he holds precious. So him being a Daimyō and one of the most powerful shinobi if the age doesn't mean a thing."

"Besides, until recently we all considered him a dead last faliure orphan. He had nothing, so he understands the lowest level of society just like he walks among the top." Kakashi said causing Tsunami to nod in shock.

"Very few knew the truth about his heritage and to protect him, that heritage was hidden from the general population and himself. Interestingly, he had discovered his heritage, became very skilled, but hid it under a façade. I think that is why he does so much himself. He didn't have any help growing up and even lived on the streets for some time. He never complains and always does what he thinks is right. To be exact, Uzumaki Naruto is a boy who makes it his life goal to help as many people as he can so that they don't suffer as he had." Sakura finished with a sad smile.

As a tense mood permeated the room, Chōji spoke up, "Just don't teat him differently from before. He hates formality and only puts up with it during official events. Even then, he tends to call the elder Daimyō's and the Hokage jiji."

Everyone smiled at the silly comment before picking sandwiches and eating them.

"I will keep that in mind, but may I ask where Tō-san, Fū-chan and Naruto-sama is? They are late for lunch." Tsunami asked with interest.

"They should be back in a couple of hours. Naruto asked your father to fill him in on the political situation of Nami while he and Fū hands out the supplies he ordered for the populace." Sakura said going back to her lunch.

After that the group quietly ate. They were just finishing lunch when Tazuna rushed into the room with a flustered expression. Spotting Kakashi, Tazuna clutched the shinobi's shoulders and started shaking him.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that Naruto-sama was a Daimyō more specifically, our Daimyō!"

Kakashi gently took hold of the man's hands and said, "Maa, you need to calm down. Now to answer your questions, firts one; because it wasn't relevant. Second; I just learned about it. If you need to blame anyone, then blame Sakura. She knew before today!"

Tazuna nodded before he suddenly collapsed into Kakashi's arms, his adrenaline running out.

"What happened Tō-san? Where's Naruto-sama and Fū-chan?"

"They remained back to feed and play with the orphans. Then said they will be back after dinner and not to worry about them. The most incredible thing is a Daimyō cooking for some orphans."

"I am not too surprised. He has a soft spot for orphans." Sakura said with a grin.

Tazuna nodded before becoming serious, "I know that all of you are trusted by Naruto-sama, so I will go ahead and ask your opinion. Do you think I should accept his offer to become the present Lord of Nami? Naruto-sama offered me and my family the position."

Everyone looked surprised, none more so than Tsunami. After a few moments everyone turned to Sakura causing the pink haired girl to raise an eyebrow, "What?"

"You are his closest friend, you advise Tazuna!" Sasuke said with a smirk as he leaned his back on the wall.

Sakura grumbled but said, "Naruto's sensory abilities allow him to even sense the nature of a person. So if he believes that you are worthy of such a position, then you should accept it. But don't accept because you are afraid to offend Naruto. Accept it for the right reasons. I personally believe that you would do great as the Lord of Nami. You have, at personal risk, went to Konoha to seek aid. You are the one who has persevered through Gato's tyrannical rule and rallied the men of Nami to build a bridge that would technically free you from Gato. I think you are the only candidate. I have seen the people of Nami looking up to you, so I think Naruto was wise to offer you the charge. Think it over and accept, only if you want. Not because you feel you have to."

With her piece said, Sakura stood up and walked out if the room. As she was leaving, Kakashi asked, "Where are you going?"

"To make sure Naruto doesn't make the kids addicted to ramen!" Sakura snarked causing everyone from Konoha to laugh.

"Hey Sakura, wait for me!" Ino said as she rushed after Sakura.

"Does anyone else feels like following them?" Asuma asked getting a round of nos from the rest of the boys.

Sasuke smirked and said, "It seems Ino has changed ship. Naruto, I thank you for your brave sacrifice. Now I have to worry about one less fangirl!"

"Troublesome, but you are right Sasuke. I fear that if they ever get together, then their spawn will make even the Shinigami shiver in terror!"

"Don't be mean you two. And Sasuke, it seems to me that you are jealous!"

"Shut it Akimichi, I am just glad that she isn't stalking me anymore! Kakashi, I am going out to train my ninshu!" Sasuke said rushing out if the room.

After the Uchiha left, Kakashi and Asuma chuckled at the boys antics.

* * *

Ino and Sakura walked into the town square to see multiple Naruto's and Fū's running about. Some cooking and handing out the cooked food. Others were helping the elderly and the sick and injured with the seal Naruto used to heal Asuma. Some were playing with the children. Finally one Naruto, the one Sakura believed to be the original was talking with some men and women. A pair of women had red hair that attracted Sakura's interest.

The last time she saw that particular shade of red was on Karin, so they must be Uzumaki survivors. Besides the women stood a strong featured man who was showing Naruto an arm with steel skin. The others were just watching with interest. Then two a sibling pair looked similar to Kisame.

Naruto grinned and nodded to something the man with the steel arm said before spotting Sakura with Ino. Waving, Naruto called out, "And here is the medic I was talking about? She should be able to heal your wife. A Kaguya, wasn't she?"

"That's a relief Naruto-sama. I really hope Honoka recovers. I don't know what I and our kids would do without them."

"Don't worry about it. I am sure that Sakura can heal her. Sakura, do you have your medical supplies with you? Dōmon's wife is very ill!"

Sakura looked surprised but nodded none the same. Turning to the man, Sakura said, "Nice to meet you. I am Haruno Sakura. Can you describe your wife's symptoms?"

The man smiled, "Konjiki Dōmon Haruno-sensei! Honoka seems to have come down with a case of weak bones, lethargy and is coughing up blood at times. I am really afraid for her health."

Sakura nodded before clarifying, "Naruto said she is of Kaguya descent. If that's true, then she need to increase the intake of calcium. Unfortunately, for full recovery, she needs to be hospitalized in Konoha. There is an experimental treatment procedure that has a eighty percent success rate of full recovery."

"They are going to come to Konoha. I offered them a chance to start a new clan in Uzu and they accepted. Let me introduce you to everyone. These are Uzumaki Natsumi and Tōka." Naruto said pointing to the two red headed women. "They come from lines specializing in Fūinjutsu and Crafting respectively. Both civilian families with some becoming shinobi. Their husbands took the supplies back home to their extended families. Over all I just found thirteen Uzumaki survivors!"

"Then you have already met Dōmon. These are Hoshigaki Taruhō and Mizuhō. They are twins." The two shark like siblings nodded in greetings.

"Finally the three young men and the four young women are "Yūki clan members. You can come on out Haku. No one will harm you here!"

Haku, who was watching from a tree jumped down with a small pout. "You really like to take away the fun in being a shinobi, don't you?"

"Well, I could have let you make a dramatic entrance, but then you would have missed being reunited with lost family!" Naruto said exuberantly as he pointed to the seven Yūki Clan members. "Unfortunately, they are civilians, so by default you become the Clan Head. Congratulations, you have to suffer through the skullduggery of working through paperwork to re-establish your clan!"

Haku's eyes twitched in annoyance at the reminder. She had heard Zabuza-sama complaint about paperwork before. She was not looking forward to it. Taking a deep breath, Haku stepped forward only for one of the women to stare at the girl in shock before pulling her into an embrace.

"It can't be! Was your mother Tsubasa?" Haku nodded with a stunned expression causing the woman to cry in delight. "I am you first cousin, Hinagiku. I can't believe I found such close family still alive and practicing the shinobi arts! Naruto-sama, you don't know how much this means to me!"

"I think I can. After all, like you, I have found family as well! Not as close as I would have liked, but family none the less. Anyway, catch up. I need to go and beat up a couple of Gato's thugs. Want to join me Ino?"

"Do I want to? Count me in! These bastards need to be taught a lesson!" Ino growled remembering the pitiful state the town was in.

"Naruto-sama, before you go, you should know that a contingent of Iwanin are near by. It seems that Gato has hired them to both kill Tazuna-san, ourselves and you. He seems to feel you like the plague."

Naruto smirked, "I already know Haku, but thanks for the heads up. In fact, I think I will play around with their heads again!"

Everyone stared at him in shock, but before they could react Naruto grabbed Ino and Fū before vanishing in a swirl of wind. After he was gone, Dōmon finally asked, "He wasn't at all affected by the news! Haku-san, how large a contingent?"

"Don't know, but I know that two members were The Gobi Jinchūriki Han and the Tsuchikage's son Kitsuchi."

Everyone blinked at the news. This had suddenly become a very dangerous situation. A Jinchūriki and an Elite Jōnin wasn't something to take lightly off.

"I think I will follow Naruto-sama to give him extra protection!" Dōmon said only for Sakura to intervene.

"There's no need. Naruto is a fully realized Kyūbi Jinchūriki with exceptional skills in senjutsu. Fū, herself is a partially realized Nanabi Jinchūriki. Finally, Naruto is an S-ranked shinobi even without the fox. Then he has skills to instantly knock out an enemy with just a glare. We would only get in the way. Instead, take me to your wife. I need to see in what stage her condition is."

Everyone looked startled but it was Dōmon who voiced everyone's thought, "And he is barely thirteen. I really don't want to go through his personal training schedule!"

"I doubt anyone would survive his training regime. The only reason I don't have him committed is because of his regeneration factor that nullifies the negatives of the regime."

"And I thought Zabuza-sama was a masochist for his own training schedule!" Haku said with a bit of awe.

"Really everyone, don't worry about Naruto. Instead, pray for the sanity of the Iwanin. I doubt they all will return completely sane. Not with the mischievous vibes Naruto was giving off."

Natsumi giggled and asked, "He got the pranking habit the royal line was infamous for, didn't he?"

Sakura just nodded causing the two Uzumaki to laugh, "You should know that he is known as the Prankster King from Hell in Konoha. He once infiltrated the Anbu HQ and dyed all of their uniforms neon orange. He was seven at the time."

"If I may ask, who was Naruto-sama's father? We know that Kushina-hime was his mother as he was born in Konoha and the only known Uzumaki in Konoha to correspond with the timeline was hime-sama, so who was his father?"

Sakura grinned mischievously and said, "The Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato!"

Everyone but Haku blinked owlishly at the information, unable to form any coherent thoughts. Haku and Sakura giggled at the state that little but of information sent these grown men and women into.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _N/A_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	13. Chapter 12 - Waves of Change Finale

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_ _"_

* * *

 _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 12** **– Waves of Change** **Finale**

"Are you sure we should do this Ichimaru? Didn't Gato tell us to lie low until the ninja guarding the bridge builder are dealt with?" A thug asked with uncertainty.

The man, Ichimaru laughed, "I know these ninja types. They don't interfere in matters that doesn't concern them. As long as we don't try and harm the bridge builder or his family, they won't concern themselves with us."

The thug nodded, "If you are sure. So are we going to be taking a few bitches for not paying protection fees again? Then I suggest, we find young, fresh ones!"

A cheer erupted from the group of twelve thugs. Ichimaru nodded, "Sure, why not! Tonight we will have a lot of fun. Hey, why don't we target Morikawa. His daughter is blossoming into a fine bud. The wife isn't unpleasant to look at as well!"

"I'll say. Why don't we have fun in front of Morikawa and then cripple him? He was being highly uppity last time!"

Before Ichimaru could answer, a clapping sound resounded around the group. Ichimaru looked to the direction of the source to see a young blonde girl was leaning on a tree. The girl was wearing very revealing cloths. A short purple tank top barely hid her blossoming chest. Black hot pants showing off long, muscled legs drew lecherous looks from the thugs.

"That's some dark plan you have there boys. Can I join? I am sure, I can give you a time that you won't forget, even in the next life!" The blonde said with an alluring smile as she beaconed the group to come closer.

Ichimaru was suspicious but said, "And why would we do that when we can take what you're offering with force?"

"What's the fun in forcing? Wouldn't it be more fun with a agreeable partner? Come on, I don't bite, much!" The blonde said with a seductive grin as she leaned forward showing off her cleavage.

Ichimaru was sceptical but his lecherous feelings override it. With a lecherous smile he and his men walked forward. As they surrounded the girl, Ichimaru raised his hand to touch the girl's face when he suddenly felt his body not responding to his commands.

With wide eyes, Ichimaru saw the girl smirk before her blue eyes turned red with slit pupils. Two red fox ears appeared over her head as her previously blonde hair turned the color of fresh blood. Five, fluffy red fox tails appeared from behind her, a ripping sound emanating from behind her.

Ichimaru felt his body jump back as the demon, as he knew no human could have fox like traits, swing her tails and easily bisected his men. The demoness turned her full attention to Ichimaru causing a dark pressure to suddenly affect him. As Ichimaru felt he was unable to breath, the demoness spoke in a surprisingly heavenly voice. "I would have left you all alone if you didn't go targetting innocent females. Unlike other demons and demonesses, I make it a priority to kill lecherous bastards like you! I hope you are satisfied with your life because your afterlife will make you wish you didn't cause so much harm. I am sure Shinigami-sama will allow me to visit and torture you some more!"

Ichimaru suddenly felt his body return to his control right before the girl transformed into a large fox, the size of a house and proceeded to eat him.

As Ichimaru lost consciousness, the air shimmered as the halved corpses were no longer there. In their places were the unconscious thugs. All of them frothing at the mouth and had vacated their bowels, Ichimaru among them.

Naruto, Ino and Fū shimmered into existence on the opposite side of the road with disgusted expressions on their faces. Naruto turned to Ino and asked, "Alright Ino, what did you do?"

Ino grinned and said, "Nothing much. I just applied my knowledge on my clan jutsus, genjutsu, air bending and killing intent to make them witness the most horrifying events. They were approached by an older version of me in a revealing outfit and a body to die for. After convincing them to approach her, she suddenly turns into a kitsune human hybrid and proceeded to kill everyone before transforming into a giant five tailed fox and consuming the man under the illusion. Air bending combined with killing intent made them feel like in the presence of a real demon. The kicker is that with the application of my clan techniques, I was able to convince them that what happened was real and had them suffer a heart attack! A fine way to kill trash like these, isn't it?"

Naruto and Fū stared at the girl with worry causing the blonde girl to smirk and say, "You both are wondering why I haven't broken down yet from my first kill, right?"

Naruto and Fū nodded causing Ino to giggle and say, "I am an Yamanaka. We specialize in the mind and human psyche. I am using a clan technique to suppress my feeling of guilt and horror until I have a better place to handle the trauma. Don't worry about me, I will speak with Daddy when I return back to Konoha. At the moment I need to be ready for anything."

Naruto and Fū nodded as Naruto said, "I see. It is a good technique but don't over use it. If you need someone to talk to, I am here to listen. You don't need to return back to Konoha for support. We are friends, aren't we?" Ino nodded with a slight frown but didn't say anything else. "Then we better head back, but before that!"

Naruto punched forward launching a wave of searing hot flames that quickly consumed the corpses of the thugs. After making sure that the flames were out, the trio turned and headed back into town.

* * *

Naruto and Haku were sitting on a tree looking over Gato's HQ. They were hidden under a sealing barrier that hid their presence. Invisible and without fear of being overheard, Haku spoke freely with Naruto nodding along.

"At exactly twenty three hundred hours, the tower guards change shift. You have five minutes to reach the building while dodging the ground patrols, by which time the tower guards will have been replaced. The first floor is usually filled with the off time thugs, no more than a hundred. It will be easy to dodge them, as drunk as they will be. Gato has his personal office and residence on the top floor. The middle floor is patrolled by low level Nukenin, mostly academy regects. The floor also houses a small portion of his liquid assets. It contains some scrolls and jeweled weapons and armor along with small mounds of gold. His public office is on this floor."

Haku was about to continue when Naruto interrupted, "What about the basement?"

"To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a basement."

Naruto nodded before saying, "None that is apparent. I can feel weak life signatures under the mansion. See the barely visible red swirl on the courtyard, this is an Uzumaki property. Like all ninja properties, it has hidden areas. The basement will be accessible from the top floor and a hidden entrance on the ground floor, probably through the kitchen. The kitchen entrace can be used my anyone. We will be infiltrating the basement through the kitchen by masquerading as hungry thugs. I believe that Gato is holding the kidnapped women and children there. If you are up to it, meet Sakura here and then infiltrate tonight."

Haku nodded before asking, "And you Naruto-sama?"

"I have an appointment with an ant!" Naruto said with a snicker as Haku giggled in realization.

"As you wish Naruto-sama, but what about the Iwanin?"

Naruto laughed and said, "I already told you, the Iwanin aren't something to worry about. I will personally take care of them. Now let's rest up for tonight."

Haku looked surprised right before Naruto dispersed into a cloud of red mist. Haku took a whiff of the mist and was surprised at the smell of blood. Shaking her head, Haku vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Gato was sleeping on his bed when he was suddenly yanked out of it by his leg. Stunned by the sudden impact with the cold stone floor, Get took a few moments to regain his bearings before looking up at his assailant.

There, standing in the moonlight was the intimidating silhouette of Naruto. His blonde hair becoming silver in the pale moonlight. His eyes glowing with a demonic red tint. Gato's breath caught in his throat when he saw the less than pleased expression on Naruto's face.

"Ah... Uzumaki-sama, what a nice surprise. How may I be of service? I you had let me know you were coming, I would have made preparations for a great feast in your honor!" Gato simpered with an insincere tone.

Naruto's eyes narrowed before he spoke in a menacing, demonic tone, "Do you take me for a fool midget? I know what you are up to. Confess your crimes and I will be merciful. Refuse and I will make you suffer to the point even Shinigami-sama cringes at your fate."

Gato shivered in fear before saying, "I don't understand Uzumaki-sama?"

Naruto growled out, "Don't understand, or don't want to? Nevermind, did you know that Nami is under Uzu? By dethroning the caretaker, who many believed to be the Daimyō, you have committed treason against me. This very compound is also Uzumaki property. Do you know what happens by trespassing on royal properties?"

Gato whimpered right before he was lifted into the air by his throat. Swiping at his throat, Gato tried to free himself only for darkness to claim him. Right before he succumbed to the sweet call of unconsciousness, Gato heard Naruto whisper in a malicious tone, "I hope you don't mind, but I am going to have fun taking over your life!"

Naruto watched as Gato fell unconscious before directing the floating idiot towards the large mirror in the room. Placing a drop of blood on the right side of the mirror, Naruto stepped back as the mirror swung open. Placing Gato on the wooden platform behind the mirror, Naruto closed it before disappearing in a cloud of red mist.

* * *

Getting inside the kitchen was easy for Haku and Sakura. Finding the hidden entrance to the basement was not. For nearly half an hour, the duo searched, nearly being caught thrice before finally finding it.

The entrance was hidden in the pantry. Pushing a small moveable piece of wood paneling, the wall on the opposite side moved away revealing a flight of stairs heading down. Nodding to each other, Haku and Sakura dispelled their henge and walked down the stairs.

"Shut up bitch! Stop squirming and it will be less painful!" A man grunted as three other voices laughed.

"No please, let me go! I will do anything!" A girl sobbed causing Haku and Sakura's eyes to narrow in disgust. As they rounded the corner, they saw a young blue haired girl, about their age being manhandled by four thugs. They watched as one of the thugs teared off her tattered dress while the other three tided her hands and legs to the legs of a small table, her legs spread out, hands above her head.

The men were touching her inappropriately all over her body as the girl squirmed. Tears rolling down her dirt caked face.

Haku and Sakura didn't waste anytime. Sakura rushed towards the two closest thugs while Haku threw two senbon at the farthest two. Unlike usual, this time the senbon struck their targets right in the middle of one eye. As the senbon were covered in fūton chakra, they easily pierced through the skills of their targets and passed through their brains.

At the same time, Sakura reached her targets and released her full strength on them. She struck one man in the face causing the head to disperse into a mist of blood and tissue. The second man wasn't as lucky as her kick caught him in the lower back. Sakura expected him to be launced forward but surprisingly, the man's body disintegrated around her leg, leaving a few inches wide hole in it's wake before the man's whole body exploded in a cloud of blood and gore. Sakura stood there for a moment in shock.

The girl was looking at the two kunoichi with fear, awe and hope but was afraid to speak in fear of becoming like the men. Haku was similarly shocked until the wall behind the girl's head slid open revealing a floating Gato and a suprised Naruto.

Looking around, Naruto quickly took in the situation before unceremoniously dropping Gato on the ground. Taking of his sage cloak, Naruto swiped his hands at the metal chains holding the girl. The girl was shocked and confused when she felt the metal cuffs fell off her hands and legs right before the large sage cloak covered her body.

The girl felt even more confused when a pair of strong arms wrapped the cloak around her naked body before picking her up in his arms. A soft calming voice whispered, "Everything is ok now. They won't be able to harm you again, neither will Gato. I promise it and I never break one!"

The girl relaxed her shoulders before turning here head towards Naruto's chest. Clutching his vest and burrying her face in his chest, the girl stared to brawl her eyes out. The crying finally shook Sakura and Haku out of their stupor.

Looking down, Sakura saw herself covered in blood and gore. Grimacing at the condition of her targets, Sakura looked up and growled out, "Is the teme still alive? If so, let me be the interrogator!"

Naruto looked at Sakura and replied with smirk, "Surething, just wait till the bridge is complete. I am sure the people of Nami would like a public execution! In the meantime, you can have some fun with the midget!"

Sakura pouted but nodded in agreement as Haku unsealed a kimono of hers. By this time the girl's sobs had stopped. With a pale face, the girl was looking at Gato. Suprisingly, the girl's eyes held no malice, only confusion.

Haku took the girl from Naruto's arms before taking her into the small cell out of Naruto's line of sight with Sakura following. Naruto just shrugged to himself before picking up Gato and walking towards the hidden set of cells to the right of the corridor. Before walking into what looked like a wall, Naruto called out, "Check all the prisoners, I will place Gato in his cell before preparing the reverse summoning seal."

After Naruto had restrained Gato, he walked out of the wall with a mischievous grin. Haku glared at the blonde and asked, "Why the hell couldn't I walk through the wall?"

Sakura sighed before saying, "Because you don't have Uzumaki blood in you, nor have the permission seal grafted on you. The Uzumaki tends to take their privacy more seriously than others."

Haku stared at the wall in shock before Naruto placed a hand on Haku's exposed neck before pushing the girl through the wall. Haku's eyes widened as she fell in while Naruto and Sakura chuckled at the ice user's expense. A light giggle caught Naruto's attention. Turning around, Naruto came face to face with the blue haired girl.

"It seems that you are doing well now?" Naruto said with a smile.

The girl blushed and nodded before replying with a deep bow, "I than you and your comrades for saving me Uzumaki-sama. And I thank you personally for covering my dignity. Here is your haori!"

Naruto nodded as he took back the slightly dirty haori and out it back on. The girl bowed again before stepping back as Naruto said, "Rise, you don't have to bow. May I ask what is the name of the beautiful flower in front of me?"

The girl blushed even more before stuttering out, "Suiren, no family name. I am an orphan with the ability to create crystals that look like flowing water!"

"That's a very rare and beautiful ability you have as is your name. Since you are an orphan, how would you like to join Uzushiogakure as a member?"

"Wasn't Uzushiogakure destroyed?" Suiren asked before her face became pale and her violet eyes opened in horror. Bowing down, Suiren said, "Please forgive me Uzumaki-sama. I didn't mean to question you!"

Naruto laughed and said, "It's alright, that's a good question. Besides, I am not as stuck up like the rest of my peers!"

Suiren looked surprised before she nodded, "Thank you Uzumaki-sama; as for joining, I would love to, as long as I can train to become a kunoichi like Haku-san and Sakura-san!"

Naruto looked surprised but nodded with a grin, "Even better. Now why don't you show me your shōton, this crystal creating ability of yours."

Suiren nodded as she brought her palms together and closed her eyes. Naruto watched her intently, both with his eyes and his sensory skills and was amazed at how easily she was able to manipulate her chakra to create the small crystal lotus.

After she finished, the girl blushed as she presented the jeweled flower to Naruto. "Please keep it Uzumaki-sama, it is the most difficult work yet! It is the reason why those men kidnapped me from my former village!"

Naruto nodded with a smile as he took the flower and placed it in his chest. In a puff of smoke, the flower vanished, sealed into a hidden storage seal on his vest. "I thank you for the beautiful gift. I am sure with a bit of training, you would become a splendid Kunoichi!"

Suiren nodded with a happy smile and bowed as Sakura called out, "Naruto, we are ready to move. Is the reverse summoning seal ready?"

"It seems that my area of expertise is now needed. I will talk to you later Suiren-chan."

Suiren nodded before bowing and walking out of Naruto's way. Seeing the girl was out of the way, Naruto knelt down and unsealed a massive scroll. Placing it on the ground, he unfurled it before calling out, "Send people here in groups of ten. I will send them to Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza."

It was at this time Haku walked out of the wall. "That was a dirty trick you pulled Naruto-sama, but I must say that Gato was shocked to see his current accommodation. Especially with the icy atmosphere that created in his cell."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Glad to see that you find the humor in the situation. I was honestly expecting you to throw a couple of senbon at me."

Haku giggled and said, "Unlike Zabuza-sama, I like a good laugh. Besides, you proved a point. Don't mess with Uzumaki Fūinjutsu!"

"Stop flirting and start working!" Sakura growled as she directed the first group of people to the summoning seal.

* * *

Kakashi was looking at the Iwa encampment with fear. He didn't know why he decided to make the patrol rounds in this area, but it payed dividends. Stumbling on to the Iwanin, overhearing their plans and finally seeing Roshi, the Yonbi Jinchūriki joining up with the group which continued the Gobi Jinchūriki, Han. This was a situation that was begging to blow-up in their faces. He needed to alert his group right now.

As Kakashi had turned and rushed away of the encampment, the only thought in his mind was that there was a high chance that very few of their group, if any would return. Hopefully, they would take down the Iwanin as well.

* * *

"Naruto!" Kakashi exclaimed as he reached the clearing where Naruto had constructed the earthen huts for the prisoners.

Naruto looked up with a frown as he was talking with some of the prisoners. Schooling his frown, Naruto turned to Kakashi and asked, "If you are her to inform me about the pesence of the Iwanin, I already know."

"I know you know Naruto. I just wanted to let you know that you will have to face both the Yonbi and the Gobi Jinchūriki. You are the only one who would survive such a confrontation. Zabuza, Asuma and I along with Sakura, Fū and Haku should be able to handle the rest of the Iwanin for a time, but what about the other genin? And what would happen if Gato appears with his thugs?"

"Don't worry so much I can easily handle the situation. Now, stop worrying and help us create the list of people and their situation when they were abducted."

Kakashi nodded with a frown but took the list from Naruto's hand and walked towards another group.

* * *

"Zori, Waraji! I need you to take some men and kidnap the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. After that, then go and kidney the bridge builder's daughter. I have a feeling we will need the hostages in the end!" Gato said causing the two men to look at each other with nervous expressions.

After a moment, Zori looked back to Gato and asked, "Boss, are you sure that we should kidnap the Tsuchikage's granddaughter?"

Gato frowned as he growled out, "Don't question me on this! The girl is a genin and caught unawares, she would be as dangerous as a newborn kitten."

Zori and Waraji nodded before Waraji asked, "Are we still taking the men to ambush the ninja after their fight?"

Gato raised an eyebrow as he said, "I don't remember changing my plan. Meet me with the hostages and make sure to tell Ichimaru to take his men to the village. I want the foolish villagers to remember that I still live."

Zori and Waraji looked unsettled causing Gato to frown and ask, "Why with the long looks. Spit out what's on your mind!"

Zori gulped before saying, "Ah... Boss, Ichimaru and his men went to the village more than a week ago. They never returned. I went out searching for them only to find a section of the forest charred. I believe they were killed by the Konoha shinobi!"

Gato growled before saying, "Then forget Ichimaru, make sure to get the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and make sure that not even a single hair on her head is harmed. The Tsuchikage will have our heads if any she even has a nosebleed!"

"Hai Boss!" The duo said as they turned and walked out of the room to follow their orders.

* * *

Tazuna and the two Konoha teams were heading towards the bridge. Fū was left behind to protect Tsunami and Inari. As the group reached the bridge, they found a thick mist filling the bridge. With a bit if trepidation, Kakashi and Asuma nodded to their teams causing team 10 and Sasuke to nod back and get into a diamond formation around Tazuna.

"Finally you lot are here. Do you know when the Iwanin are going to attack?" Zabuza asked as he approached the group with Haku trailing behind.

"They are going to be here within a few moments. Why don't you have your spar with Kakashi-sensei? Just don't see ninshu, we don't need Iwa to become alert to our capabilities!"

Kakashi nodded before turning to Zabuza and asked, "You ready?"

"You don't know how long I have been waiting for this moment!" Zabuza said with a bloodthirsty grin as he unholstered Kubikiribōchō and got ready. Kakashi took out a kunai and laced it with raiton chakra.

Without any visible signal the two Elite Jōnin leaped at each other and started a clash of punches, kicks and slashes..

As the duo fought, the Iwanin reached the bridge and observed the situation. As Kitsuchi was looking around at his team, he came to a startling realization. Kurotsuchi wasn't present. With a fearful expression, Kitsuchi asked, "Where's Kurotsuchi?"

The surrounding Iwanin looked around before one of them declared, "I think Namikaze must have kidnapped her!"

Many of the gathered ninja nodded in agreement as Kitsuchi's expression turned to alarmed before anger settled in.

Han and Roshi looked out from the back and shook their hands in exasperation. How could experienced Jōnin and Chunin make such an elementary mistake. Besides, from what Han had seen and shared with Roshi about Naruto's character, he wasn't someone to use blackmail. Besides why kidnap the girl now? After personally handing the girl to them when they didn't even know of her presence!

Without thinking, Kitsuchi ordered the group to attack the Konohanin without thinking of the consequences or planning a strategy.

The roar of the Iwanin caught everyones attention causing Zabuza and Kakashi to jump apart and perpare to clash with the Iwanin.

"Namikaze! Return my daughter and I will make sure your death will be swift!"

Naruto scoffed as his blue eyes changed into golden ones. Raising his palm and making a clutching motion, the charging Iwanin suddenly stopped and dropped to their knees clutching at their throats.

Just before the Iwanin collapsed from lack of oxygen, the pressure vanished causing them all to place their hands on the ground and take deep breaths. Four metallic pings sounded before a wave of force pressed down the group. They all crashed into the ground unable to move a muscle.

"Just stay there and you won't die. Take the time and use your brains. What reason do I have to kidnap the Tsuchikage's granddaughter? Especially since I could have done it when you didn't know she was here?" Naruto growled out in annoyance. "Your hatered and urge for revenge are clouding your minds. None of you even think of the other possibilities. You know, accusing a Daimyō without accurate proof can get you all killed. Your own Daimyō will sign the death warrent with a smile on his face! Besides, the girl could have returned to Iwa. Ever think of that possibility before jumping to conclusions?"

Kitsuchi's eyes widened in realization as he groaned out, "He's right! We just blamed him out of our hatred for Konoha and Namikaze."

"I promise you that none of us has harmed the girl and neither do we plan to, that is unless she gives us a reason to by attacking us. Don't take my politeness as weakness. I have said it before and I say it again, I have no quarrel with Iwa, as a Konoha shinobi, neither do I have a quarrel with Iwa, Kumo or Kiri for the destruction of my clan. Don't let the past dictate the present!"

The sound of applause originated from behind the Iwa contingent drawing everyones attention. Roshi was smiling as he and Han were clapping at Naruto's speech.

"Splendid speech Namikaze, but we were hired by Gato to kill you, the bridge builder and the other ninja with you, which unfortunately includes Zabuza and his subordinate. Nothing personal, but I would like to not have failed this mission just because I was a coward." Roshi said before he collapsed into a pile of mud.

Everyones eyes widened at the event right before Roshi jumped up from below the bridge with his fist covered in a layer of glowing lava. Naruto calmly turned as his fists were engulfed in smoky white mist. With a swipe of his fist, Naruto redirected the lava fist as steam filled the area. Both ninja jumped out of the steam with Roshi sporting a confused but impressed look.

"You know, I didn't think there was anyone who could flash freeze lava. You are truly something else."

Naruto nodded with a grin and said, "I am surprised that you didn't ask how I did it?"

"Then I ask, how?" Roshi said with a mocking grin.

Naruto grinned before he tilted his head to the side as Han's armor covered fist flew through the previous space it occupied. And in a fluid motion, Naruto grabbed Han's outstretched fist and threw him towards Roshi in an impressive show of strength.

"Did you forget about my sensory skills Han?" Naruto said as he punched forward releasing a wave of golden flames at his fellow Jinchūriki.

Wide-eyed, the Iwa Jinchūriki quickly used a kawarimi to get away only for Naruto to reappear behind them and kicked them over the edge of the bridge before following them, a pale gold cloak of fiery chakra starting to form around him.

The gravity around the Iwanin lessened enough for them to crawl towards the edge of the brigde and peer at the battle occurring on the waters. At the same time, Naruto's group were copying the Iwanin.

Zabuza looked at the fight and asked, "What the hell do you feed him? There is no way he can be this strong at this age!"

"I am relieved that you accepted his offer Zabuza-sama. I really don't want him as an enemy!" Haku said causing Ino and Sakura to snicker.

"I understand the sentiment. His first show of power and he completely destroyed a team of six Elite Jōnin and Anbu which included Kakashi, Maito Gai, Mitarashi Anko, Yūhi Kurenai and our best Anbu Captain and the Anbu Commander in one-on-team combat without even using his full power."

Zabuza and Haku along with the Iwanin looked at Asuma in shock as Kakashi added, "None of us were even able to touch him. Afterwards, he had even healed us. He hadn't even broken a sweat."

"Now that I think about it, he was able to infiltrate Anbu HQ wearing kill me orange, dyed all of their uniforms and make it out alive with none the wiser. How the hell could we ignore the signs and mark him as a fool, when he could prank some of the best and deadliest killers known to the world and than too during his early days as an academy student!" Shikamaru exclaimed hoping to get something out of Sakura. Unfortunately, the pink haired medic just smiled enigmatically as she focused her attention to the fight.

By this time, both Han and Roshi had activated their full power bijū cloaks causing them to look like miniature versions of the Bijū they contained.

"I really hope Naruto doesn't kill them accidentally. I don't think Hokage-sama would be pleased with the political fallout if such a situation!" Chōji said causing the Iwanin to bristle at a percieved insult.

"Hold your tongue boy! Han and Roshi are more than enough to kill Namikaze!" A kunoichi growled out only for a pebble to hit her on the forehead.

"Oh be quiet! He once shared the purified chakra of the Kyūbi with me. Even that small fraction showed me how immensely powerful the Bijū truly are. If he uses his full power, I doubt there would be enough left to bring back in a body bag!" Sasuke said with a smirk.

The kunoichi growled and said, "While this mission protects us from a political fallout, killing both Han and Roshi would be something that isn't protected by the mission!"

"That's too bad, because the political fallout would not be on our side. It will be your side that suffers. By attacking me, you and Iwa are declaring war on the sovereign nation of Uzu. By sending your Jinchūriki, you have doomed yourselves to hand over the Bijū to the affected party as was written in the Hidden Village Formation Treaty signed by all the Daimyō." Naruto said causing everyone to look at him in shock before turning to the fight to witness another Naruto battling the Iwa Jinchūriki.

"You are wrong Namikaze! That clause would only come in effect if you were a Daimyō!" The kunoichi said only for Kitsuchi to say, "Wait, your mother was Uzumaki Kushina-hime, that makes you the Uzu Daimyō!"

Naruto nodded with a foxy grin causing all the Iwanin to pale in realization.

"Naruto, are you a clone?" Ino asked with confusion only for Naruto to chuckle and reply, "No! The clone is the one fighting. I really needed to check the viability of the Ketsueki Bunshin in battle."

Kitsuchi asked with a strange glint in his eyes, "When you caught and brought Kurotsuchi to the encampment, that was a blood clone? I can't believe it! I thought you used some kind of genjutsu!"

Everyone ignored Kitsuchi and turned back to the fight. The clone was now engulfed in golden flame like chakra as he easily manipulated tons of water.

* * *

Naruto ducked under a steam enhanced kick from Han before jumping over some balls of magma before swinging his leg in an axe kick releasing a massive wave of golden flames at the approaching Han before raising a wall of water.

Jabbing into the water wall, Naruto bended small jagged pieces of ice to fly at Roshi. Roshi was hard-pressed to dodge all the ice chunks but was able to dodge or block most of the ice pieces.

Taking the chance, Han growled as he was covered in a red chakra cloak which slowly grew five tails. Naruto had just enough warning as the now bijūfied Han charged at Naruto with even greater speed. Using his air bending Naruto jumped high into the air as the flickers of golden flame like chakra increased.

Closing his eyes, Naruto brought his fists together before punching towards Han, who had jumped at Naruto using his steam to propel him high than usual. As Han approached, a concentrated wall of wind rushed down towards Han and causing him to crash into the water.

While Han kept Naruto busy, Roshi took the chance to get into his own Version Two chakra cloak. Now with red chakra covering him and four thick tails swishing behind him, Roshi made some handseals before placing his clawed hands over his mouth.

Naruto felt the chakra spike. Looking at Roshi, Naruto's eyes widened in shock as a massive wave of lava flew towards him. Focusing his mind, Naruto drew in more natural energy to augment his already impressive connection to the elements. A strong golden flame like chakra cloak formed around him.

As the wave reached him, Naruto, his eyes still closed, swiped his hands to the side before he started to go through some taijutsu katas. As he moved, the lava flowed with his motions, flowed around him before rising above him in a massive wave.

Han had climed back on to the water surface near Roshi and looked up to see the old Jinchūriki look gobsmacked. Following Roshi's line of sight, Han felt his own jaw drop as Naruto directed the wave of lava to fall towards them at a rate that would prevent them from escaping.

Narrowing his eyes in concentration, Han started gathering positive and negative chakra into a condensed ball in front of his face. As the ball finished forming, Han swallowed the ball before burping it back up.

* * *

"What the hell is Han thinking? He's going to kill us all!" An Iwa shinobi shouted out in fear only for his jaw to drop as the Naruto clone grinned.

The bijūdama punched through the wall of lava, absorbing some of the lava into itself as it flew towards Naruto. As the ball of death reached Naruto, the clone raised his palms to meet the ball. The ball touched Naruto's hands as Naruto screwed up his face in concentration before pulling his hands apart.

Everyone watched in shock as the black ball of chakra separated into two separated balls of white and red chakra while gaining a greenish tint. Everyone watched as the green color intensified in the balls before they completely became green. With a grin the Naruto clone dispersed one of the balls while he absorbed the other.

The golden flame like cloak intensifed as the clone was surrounded in a massive whirlwind. When the whirlwind dissipated, the clone had vanished. At the same time, both Han and Roshi had dropped out of their Bijū chakra cloak.

Both looked confused before they fell on their knees and lost control of their chakra.

"What did you do?" Kitsuchi asked only for Sasuke to answer.

"The whole area is saturated in Naruto's chakra with invisible fūinjutsu shiki around them. What is the jutsu doing Naruto?"

The original chuckled, "The fūinjutsu is meant to seal the chakra of everyone other than me and those with the counter seal in the area of effect. Now Han, Roshi! Are you going to surrender? I really don't want to kill fellow Jinchūriki!"

Han and Roshi looked at each other with a pained expression. They nodded to each other before saying, "We surrender!"

Naruto nodded as the clone phased into existence right behind the duo with kunai at their necks. Retracting the kunai, the clone placed a hand on each of the swimming ninjas heads. With a grunt, the clone and the two Jinchūriki vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared in the bridge, right in the middle of the Iwanin.

Naruto nodded to the clone causing it to nod back before dispersing in a cloud of red mist. "Now Iwanin, you accused me of kidnapping the girl. I answered that I or anyone with me didn't. If you pull back, I will tell you where I can sense she is! Deal?"

Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes but kept his cool. He didn't need to act rashly after how the kid destroyed them, even their Jinchūriki. He was about to speak when the sound of clapping filed the bridge.

"I must say, I didn't expect Iwa to be destroyed so easily. I though that a full contingent with what your Tsuchikage said we're demons in human skin would be enough to kill the Uzumaki brat. It seems that you ninja are worthless. I should have dealt with the situation with my own men. All of you ninja cost too much to hire and give unsatisfactory results. Now I say, fight to the death if you have to, but kill the bridge builder and Uzumaki and the ninja with him, if you want this young girl unharmed!"

Everyone narrowed their eyes as Gato dragged a bound and gagged Kurotsuchi in front of him. "She hasn't been harmed, yet! So I better see results!"

All the Iwanin looked tense at the declaration while Naruto's companions looked at the midget with anger. Only Haku looked confused as she was sure the idiot was still imprisoned.

Naruto looked serene but the chakra pressure around him and his red eyes were a clear give away that he was beyond livid. With a thin smile, Naruto said, "Even if they wanted, they can't move out of the area."

"Then I am sure the Tsuchikage will pay a lot for the girl. What the hell are you all standing around for, kill them!" Gato screamed to his men causing them to roar in approval and charge forward. Before they even got three feet, a great cloak of chakra burst into existence around him causing the ground around his feet to shatter.

With a wave of his hand, Naruto released an invisible wave of air. Gato watched in shock as all of his men fell forward. Their heads separated from their bodies.

The Iwanin watched in shock as the corpses were suddenly covered in hungry blue flames leaving behind only ash within moments of coming into existence. Only the heads were left untouched.

Gato stepped back in fear as he let go of Kurotsuchi before he found himself floating in the air, invisible hands crushing his throat. As he lost consciousness, he heard Naruto say, "Sakura, take the midget scum to the Town Hall. Tie him up and call a meeting in the evening. I believe Nami will love a public trial and execution of the midget!"

Kurotsuchi looked at heads in shock before she felt her bindings fall apart. Quickly pulling out the gag, she ran towards the other end of the bridge before coming to a stop in front of Naruto.

The girl stared at him for a moment before bowing deeply, "I thank you for rescuing me Namikaze-san, even though I am an enemy! I am also sorry for blaming your father for the death of my mother when she sacrificed herself for Han. And I am also sorry for stabbing you that day. I now understand that what you said was right. I shouldn't let actions taken in the past guide my actions in the present."

"It's ok! There is no need to bow. I am happy that my words have effected you so profoundly. It is up to us to end the cycle of hatred that spawns wars and revenge. You have taken the first step into breaking this horrid cycle. And for saving you, I did what need to be done as a human. Most forget that us Jinchūriki are human as well with human hearts. As for stabbing me, I would have been disappointed if you didn't. At the time, you knew I was an enemy who had captured you. I actually let you stab me to see if you had the potential to become a top rate kunoichi. If you waited for someone else to save you, then you don't deserve to be a kunoichi."

Kurotsuchi nodded before running to her father only for her to crash into the ground as soon as she passed the barrier. Naruto chuckled before lowering the gravity around Kurotsuchi allowing the girl to sit up.

Turning to Kitsuchi, he asked, "Will you leave now, or do I have to send you back to Iwa in body bags? We may have a truce, but at this moment, you are enemies. Even my mercy has limits, especially since you attacked us even after I warned you!"

Kitsuchi nodded as the gravity vanished allowing him and his shinobi to stand up again. Kitsuchi bowed to as the rest of his people bowed as well. After straightening up, Kitsuchi said, "Thank you for your mercy Uzumaki-sama! Alright people, let's head back. The mission was a failure."

Without further fanfare, the Iwanin moved out leaving behind Roshi and Han. The duo looked at Naruto before raising their fists to Naruto. Naruto smiled and fist bumped with them for a moment before turning and walking back. Han and Roshi nodded before saying, "Next time we meet, you really need to tell us how you dispelled the bijūdama so easily!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder and said, "I am afraid that other than me, only my sensei, Gamamaru-sama will ever be able to do it, unless you wish to master true sennin mode.

Roshi looked startled but nodded while Han looked at Naruto with respect before they turned and left.

"Well my fellow genin, can you all please seal those heads in this scroll?" Naruto said throwing a small scroll to an disgusted Ino. "Make sure to check if any of them have . Granted they won't have bounties as high as us ninja, but still Ryo is Ryo, no matter how little."

"Zabuza, can you follow me. I have something to talk to you about. Kakashi-sensei, Asuma, you two head towards Gato's warehouses. I want his shipping manifest. Haku, can you please supervise the genin?"

Everyone nodded to his commands but Haku asked, "One thing Naruto-sama, how did Gato escape? I thought you had a clone masquerading as him?"

Everyone turned to Naruto with surprised looks as Naruto chuckled, "That my dear Haku was politics. I used the situation to earn a few favours from Iwa by saving Kurotsuchi, who's grandfather just happens to be the Sandaime Tsuchikage!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened and said, "In addition, Kurotsuchi is young and you couldn't anticipate her reactions. That's why you had her discreetly removed from the equation! Damn, I am not playing shogi with you ever!"

"Then there is the passive benefit of making him look better in the eyes of his fellow Daimyō. As far as they know, he acted honourably and decisively. So his take over of the control of Nami from the previous steward will look better. Instead of a young inexperienced Daimyō, it would seem like the decision taken by an experienced one. Less political complications that way." Asuma said with a grin.

"Yes yes, now get to work everyone! I have some stupid paperwork to do before Gato's trial."

* * *

The people of Nami had gathered in the town square where a large platform of stone had been erected. Tied to a pole of rock was a gagged Gato. In front of the midget stood Naruto, Tazuna, Fū and Zabuza.

"People of Nami, I come before you today to introduce to you our young Daimyō. Until now, we knew that Hiro-sama and his line to be the Daimyō, that was not true. I have seen the documents signed by Hiro-sama's grandfather. Hiro-sama's line were steward's for the Uzumaki Clan, the head of which is our rightful Daimyō. Now I give you our Daimyō, Uzumaki Naruto-sama! The person personally responsible for freeing us from Gato!"

The crowd cheered at Tazuna's speech as Naruto walked forward, Fū and Zabuza following close behind. Naruto stood regally as he surveyed the gathered crowd. Taking a deep breath, Naruto finally spoke, "I was coronated less than three months ago. As soon as I learned the plight of you all, the plight of my people, I took upon myself the duty to deliver you all from the illegal rule of Gato. A rule he gained by diposing my previous steward and his family. For that alone, the laws asks for his head. I am well within my rights to execute him right here, but as you all have suffered under his meticulous care, I believe that you all should have a say in his punishment!"

The crowd cheered before Naruto raised his hand, demanding silence. After the crowd was silenced, Naruto spoke again. "So tell me, does a quick death sound alright, or should he be subjected to a more painful one?"

A short of painful death resounded the town square causing Naruto to nod. "As my people wish. As the Daimyō of Nami, I hear you declare that Gato shall be stoned to death by the very people he oppressed! Now before that sentence is carried out, I would like to make an announcement! My wish is that Tazuna and his line takes over stewardship of Nami, is there any objections?"

Naruto waited for a few moments before speaking again. "As I haven't heard any nays, I now ask Tazuna, do you accept the responsibility that comes with the position? Do you pledge to serve to the best of your ability, the people of Nami and me your Daimyō? Do you swear to uphold all the laws of the land and make sure that justice is done? Speak your mind!"

Tazuna walked forward and started taking the oaths that were required for taking up the mantle of Steward of Nami.

"You know, Naruto looks hot up there!"

"Ino! Stop talking! Don't you have any respect for the situation!" Sakura hissed in annoyance while the others snickered.

"Then I, by the power vested in me by my being Daimyō, I declare you and your line the rightful steward of Nami under the Uzumaki!"

A cheer filled the crowd as everyone cheered for Tazuna, who at great risk to himself, went and brought the ninja here. An action that finally freed them from Gato's tyrannical rule.

"Finally, I declare the building that Gato used as a HQ and is a property belonging to my Clan be made into an orphanage and house for the homeless! Also, half of Gato's ill begotten riches shall be spread to the people of Nami while the other half shall be used as public funds for the betterment of Nami! Now, those who wish to relocate to Uzu no Kuni, please send your applications to Tazuna who shall forward it to me. Those of you do decide to relocate, you will be offered interest free loans to restart your lives there!"

"Finally, my door is always open for my people. If you need my attention, contact Konoha as I am also an active shinobi of Konoha. That is all, thank you!"

Cheering filled the town square as Naruto stepped aside with Zabuza and Fū. Right before they left, Tazuna declared, "Gato's execution shall take place tomorrow at Dawn, thank you!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _N/A_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

 ** _Bijūdama = Tailed Beast Ball_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	14. Chapter 13 - Interlude I

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 _"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 1** **3** **–** **Interlude I**

 _"How can the son of our greatest nemesis be so honourable and merciful?"_ Kurotsuchi thought as she walked down the streets of I was, lost in thought. _"I wonder what Namikaze was really like off the battlefield? It seems that the Kiroi Senkō wasn't a monster as the history books teaches us. If he was, then Uzumaki-san wouldn't have been as he is!"_

As Kurotsuchi was walking about lost in thought, she didn't realize that someone was right in front of her until she bumped into the person and fell on her butt. Looking up, she saw that she had bumped into Roshi, which was a surprising thing. Roshi and Han don't come into Iwa unless summoned or to give reports.

"Keep alert of your surroundings young Kurotsuchi. It will save your life in the future!" Roshi said as he pulled the girl to her feet before turning around and walking towards the Council Building.

"Wait, Roshi-jiji! Can I ask you something?" Roshi raised an eyebrow but nodded for the girl to continue, "Do you know what Namikaze Minato was truly like? And don't give me the crap that history teaches us!"

Roshi's eyes seemed to pierce through the girl before softening as the red haired man said with a grin, "Why the sudden interest? Or is this about trying to understand young Uzumaki? Does the princess of Iwa have a crush? I am sure your grandfather will be pleased to learn of it!"

Kurotsuchi's face adoped an impressive shade of red as the girl spluttered out, "It's nothing like that! I was just wondering how the son of the blasted Namikaze is so different than expected! How can he be so kind and honourable, when his father brutally massacred everyone in sight, even those who were retreating!"

Rohshi looked surprised but nodded to himself before saying, "Namikaze was one man I respected, just like I now respect his son. You know that I don't respect many people, especially enemies, but Namikaze was different. History teaches you that Namikaze massacred the retreating and injured soldiers as well. That's propaganda. Namikaze didn't harm those who were incapacitated or retreating. The only reason we had such high casualties was because of our commanders arrogance. The commander ordered us to fight to the last breath, and that's what many did. Understand so far?"

Kurotsuchi nodded causing Roshi to continue, "Everyone expected him to tire from the onslaught, unfortunately the Hiraishin didn't affect the physical stamina, being a teleportation technique. Namikaze had great mental fortitude to be able to do what he did. After taking down the platoon, Namikaze affered the injured a chance to flee. Many would have taken it, if the foolish Takamura didn't order that any who retreated would be marked Nukenin. You should know that until now, Takamura didn't take the field himself."

"So that's why..." Kurotsuchi stared but Roshi glared the girl into silence.

"The injured nin rose to fight against Namikaze, knowing full well that they were ants trying to bring down a mountain. While Namikaze pleaded them to lay down their arms, none did as to them it was better to be martyrs than Nukenin. While his men fought, Takamura fled back to Iwa. As Takamura's father was on the council, he got off with a minor slap on the wrist while Namikaze was regarded a demon with no remorse."

Kurotsuchi looked shocked at the revelation but before she could speak, Roshi said, "Uzumaki is very much like his father. Merciful, honourable and lethal, maybe more so than this father. In fact, I know that his more lethal than his father. Namikaze only had Hiraishin, Rasengan and his own shurikenjutsu. Uzumaki on the other hand has access to Senjutsu, the Kyūbi, those sealless ninjutsu, impressive taijutsu and finally battle fūinjutsu. To put it lightly, Uzumaki only played with us. If he was serious, I really don't want to know how dangerous he would be. Don't forget his political power from his being a Daimyō. I am glad that Kitsuchi didn't make the mistake Takamura did. I don't think there would have been any body left of us. Now run along Kurotsuchi. I have a council meeting to attend to."

Kurotsuchi nodded before Roshi said with a chuckle, "But before I leave, do I need to ask Ōnoki to arrange a marriage contract for you and Uzumaki?"

Kurotsuchi growled as her face resembled a tomato, "I don't like him like that damnit!"

Roshi just chuckled as he nodded before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

"Mei-sama! I have interesting news for you!" Ao said as he rushed into the command building in the small town they recently liberated from the hands of Yagura's men.

Mei was a beautiful young lady of barely twenty eight, though she seemed younger. She had long aburn hair tied in a top knot. She was wearing a cerulean blue battle kimono with that seemed to highlight her fierce green eyes.

With a frown Mei asked, "What is it Ao? I still have to go through all these reports!"

Ao cringed at the massive heap of paperwork lying on Mei's desk before saying, "There is a new Uzu Daimyō! Rumors state that he is only thirteen years old but is ranked at the same level as the Yondaime Hokage. There are also reports of him defeating both Iwa Jinchūriki without even trying along with a contingent of Elites. There are whispers that he is the Kyūbi Jinchūriki as well. A fully realized Kyūbi Jinchūriki at that!"

Mei looked shocked as Ao brought out an newly printed Iwa bingo book along with an older Kumo bingo book. Taking both books, Mei opened the Kumo book to the relevant page and quickly read through it. With an incredulous look she placed the book on her table before opening the Iwa book.

* * *

 _Name: Uzumaki Naruto_

 _Title: Bijū Sennin, Uzu Daimyō_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 12+_

 _Father: Namikaze Minato_

 _Mother: Uzumaki Kushina_

 _Rank: Genin/Sennin_

 _Taijutsu: High S_

 _Ninjutsu: Beyond High S_

 _Genjutsu: High A to Low S_

 _Fūinjutsu: Beyond Uzumaki standard High S_

 _Bukijutsu: N/A_

 _Chakra: High Bijū without tapping into Kyūbi's chakra_

 _Affinity: All_

 _Threat Ranking: Beyond High S_

 _Assessment: Do not engage under any circumstances. Flee at sight if you are an enemy!_

 _Bounty: N/A_

 _Notes: Fully realized Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōkō. Accomplished sensor with the ability to sense life force. Was able to single handedly defeat the Yonbi and Gobi Jinchūriki while they were using the full power of their Bijū along with a team of twelve elites. Master of Fūinjutsu, able to write seals directly into the air. Was able to stop a bijūdama with bare hands, separate it into its constituent positive and negative chakra before absorbing half and dissipating the remaining chakra. Is able to manipulate the very elements with only his thoughts and is able to manipulate sub-element lava and ice, all without handseals._

* * *

"Have you ever heard of any Jinchūriki being able to things like this?" Mei asked her shock barely hidden.

"Never in all my years have I heard of such feats though there were rumors that the most prodigious of Uzumaki Seal Masters could write seals in the very air with their chakra alone. Do you think we should ask for his help?"

Mei shook her head, "I am afraid not. I may be of Uzumaki descent, but he is the Daimyō and the Uzumaki Clan Head. I can approach him as a distant cousin, but as the leader of the Kiri Bloodline Rebels, it's not possible. Approaching a foreign Daimyō isn't possible without offending our own, who has made it clear that as long as our war doesn't directly effect the civilians too badly, he isn't going to interfere. Besides we will not be asking for Uzumaki-sama to send an army, we would be asking for him to participate. That's a faux pas of the highest order. Insulting him may just cause him to support Yagura instead. No, we have to win on our own. At most I can ask him for supplies and support in the Daimyō Summits."

Ao nodded when a chuckle filled the room. Hearing the chuckle, Ao and Mei tensed up but relaxed when Zabuza walked out of the shadows covering the right side of the room. The first thing Mei noted was that Zabuza didn't carry Kubikiribōchō on him. His Kiri hitai-ate was gone. Instead a hitai-ate with three swirls engraved on it adorned his head. Finally, he was carrying a large sealing scroll on his back.

"What village are you affiliated with Zabuza? I don't remember that symbol. Moreover, how did you get your crimes pardoned?" Mei asked as Ao said, "And why are you here?"

Zabuza smirked and say, "My new Daimyō sent me here. He was most displeased with Yagura's methods, so he decided to offer you some help. But you will need to go and ask him for it. He can't directly interfere without proper reasons. The other Daimyō won't stand for it, not that they can do much if he does, but he likes to cover all his bases. Much cleaner that way!"

"And which Daimyō is that?"

"Why don't you guess? My hitai-ate should narrow it down, if you think enough."

Mei and Ao looked irritated as they focused their attention on the hitai-ate. After a few moments Ao huffed and said, "In all my years, I have never seen this symbol. It looks like three whirlpools bunched together!"

Mei's eyes widened in realization as she whispered out, "Uzumaki!"

Ao heard her whispered exclamation and turned a confused eye on his leader. "What does Uzumaki have to do with this?"

"Am I right?" Mei asked with excitement causing Zabuza's smirk to grow in size as he nodded. Mei yelled out, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Things are really looking up now!"

"Ah Mei-sama, what are you talking about?"

Mei ignored Ao and asked, "What was published in Iwa and Kumo's bingo books, how accurate were they?"

Zabuza raised an eyebrow as he caught the two books Mei threw to him and quickly studied the relevant entries. After finishing, Zabuza placed the books on Mei's desk and said, "I don't know the full extent, and they don't have any information on his bukijutsu skill, which I will grant is about low A rank at the moment, not like he needs his staff to kick anyone's collective asses, but to tell you the truth, I say that the bingo books are down playing his skills a bit. Only witnessing him in action is the only way to really understand his skills. Does that answer your question Mei?"

Ao's eyes widened in realization, "You have joined Uzushiogakure! Uzumaki-sama is recreating his ancestral village, the first hidden village that predates the five great villages!"

Zabuza nodded causing Ao to curse, "I really hope that Uzumaki-sama doesn't hold a grudge against Kiri for the fall of Uzushiogakure!"

"If he was, then he wouldn't have let the Iwanin retreat, especially without any injuries. Especially after they tried to kill him. Besides he has declared that he won't take actions on revengeful thoughts. He will only retaliate to protect his friends and allies. He is humble, honorable and kind. He is a paradox. There hasn't been anyone in recorded history like him. Now back to the reason I was sent. There is enough supplies to last for a few weeks. If you wish for his personal help, you should be ready to head to Konoha within two days. He is very busy, so there is no guarantee that you will catch him if you delay more than that." Zabuza said dropping the large scroll.

"Thanks for the information Zabuza, I doubt you were meant to tell us so much and please thank Uzumaki-sama for his kindness. I will personally head out to meet Uzumaki-sama as soon as I can. Now before you go, you never answered, how did you convince him to allow you to join Uzu?"

Zabuza chuckled and said, "I was on a mission. Naruto-sama was with the reinforcement the first Konoha team led by Sarutobi Asuma and consisting of his Genin. I had defeated Asuma when Naruto-sama appeared. We fought, him playing with me before my apprentice Haku saved me by masquerading as a Kiri Oinin." Ao glared at Zabuza at that.

"Don't glare at me Ao, it's a good strategy. Anyway, he later showed up at our hideout and made an offer we couldn't refuse. We decided to accept the offer and the rest is history. I would tell more and before I leave, Naruto-sama told me to tell you that in the future, right after the biannual Chunin exams, Kubikiribōchō will be returned to Kiri, no matter who the Kage will be at the time."

Mei nodded with surprise before asking, "I would have thought that you would never give up Kubikiribōchō unless it was pried from your dead fingers!"

"As I said, Naruto-sama offered me something that I would have been a fool to refuse." Zabuza said only for Mei to say, "He offered you one of the Sacred Uzumaki Treasures!"

"Not quite but close! Bye!" Zabuza said before dissipating into a cloud of red mist.

Smelling the tangy smell of blood, Mei and Ao raised an eyebrow, impressed at the blood clone.

* * *

Ē, the Yondaime Raikage, was sitting behind his desk frowing as he read through a mission report when his secretary walked into the room with Kirabi and Yugito behind her.

"Raikage-sama, I have brought Yugito and Kirabi-sama as you asked!"

Ē looked up from the report and nodded to his secretary, "Thank you Mabui, you may go now. Yugito, Bee, take a seat. I wish to discuss somethings with you two."

Yugito nodded and silently took a seat while Bee grinned and said, "Yo yo yo, what do you need bro!"

Ē's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but ignored it in favor of handing his two trusted ninja two separate files. Both quickly opened their files and read through the contents. The more they read, the more shocked they got. After finishing the files, Yugito looked up and was about to speak when Darui rushed into the room with Shee behind him. Both wearing expressions of mirth on their faces. Behind them, Mabui rushed in with an annoyed look on her face.

Before Ē could ask why his two common bodyguards had rushed into his office, Darui took out an Iwa bingo book while Shee took out a report from Kumo's spy network. Handing them both to the Raikage, they both stood at attention while trying to suppress their urge to laugh and barely succeeding.

Ē looked at the two with confusion before opening the bingo book at the marked page. Reading through the entry, Ē burst out laughing causing Darui and Shee to loose control as well. While the three were incapacitated by laughter, Bee took up the espionage report and quickly read through the marked sections.

Finishing the report, Bee looked disturbed for a moment before he started to chuckle. Without rapping, Bee said, "I never thought there would be a ninja out there who could take down two imperfect jinchūriki without effort. And that too at twelve years of age."

"I know what you mean Bee! Ōnoki was a fool to believe that multiple Jinchūriki along with some of his elites could defeat someone of Uzumaki-dono's power. The best thing about this is that Ōnoki and his foolish council must be having a heart attack right now!" Ē said with a grin.

"They were even more foolish to attack him without getting all of their facts straight." Darui said with a grin.

"I wonder if Uzumaki-sama will ask for Iwa's Jinchūriki like he did for Taki. I still think that Taki got off easy."

"Don't know, but I will ask when I meet him again. If he does, then Ōnoki will have no chance to complain, but it does raise another concern. He himself is a perfect Jinchūriki like Bee. If he teaches the Nanabi Jinchūriki and then gains Han and Roshi before teaching them to become perfect Jinchūriki as well. The power Uzu will have is astounding. Even with Bee and Yugito, we would lose, especially since he can supress the chakra of everyone with barely a thought. His ninshu skills makes him far more dangerous than even his father was."

"So that's why you called us here and handed us the two files! You wanted our thoughts on the proposal!" Yugito said looking at the file in her hand.

Ē nodded, "That's right Yugito. Bee, what are your thoughts on this?"

Bee straightened up and said, "I think that you should go ahead with it. An alliance with the Uzumaki Clan was once thought to be a privilege. You have a good chance for doing just that. But instead of sending Yugito with my team, send me in her place. From what the reports say, he is very much like the Kiroi Senkō. I am sure I can convince him to allying with us."

"Not to mention, you get the chance personally evaluate him. Isn't that right Bee-sama?" Shee said with a grin causing the Hachibi Jinchūriki to grin in return.

"Alright Yugito, Mabui, you two can leave. Sit-down gentlemen we have much to discuss." Ē said as Yugito and Mabui nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

Team 7, Team 10, Fū and Haku were sitting around the large lounge drinking tea as Tazuna was reading through some papers. Inari was reading over his shoulder when something caught the young boy's attention.

"Jiji, didn't you officially name the bridge yet?"

Tazuna looked up with wide eyes. "Ah... I completely forgot! Naruto-sama, the people of Nami wishes that the bridge be named after you to honor you. Should I go ahead with their request?"

Naruto looked surprised before shaking his head, "I am honoured for the respect, but no, don't name it after me. I was doing what is my duty. Instead, I suggest you name it after your late son-in-law, Kaiza. He was a true hero. He didn't have to be a martyr, but still he chose to fight Gato. He should be the one honoured, not me."

Tazuna and his family looked surprised at the declaration with Inari having tears in his eyes at the kindness but Tazuna nodded and wrote down a name that would be fitting. As Tazuna was writing the name, Inari had hopped over the table and was hugging Naruto with all his might as Naruto rubbed the boys back.

* * *

"Welcome everyone to the Grand Opening of the bridge that connects our small island nation with the mainland! Many of you requested that the bridge be named after our honourable Daimyō, Uzumaki Naruto-sama. I am unfortunately going to have to tell you that Uzumaki-sama doesn't want us to name the bridge after him. Instead, he suggested that the bridge be named after Kaiza, who sacrificed his life, trying to free Nami from Gato's rule. In Kaiza's memory we have decided to call it, The Bridge of Freedom, Kaiza!"

A massive cheer erupted from the crowd. After the cheering stopped Tazuna spoke, "Now, I request our honoured Naruto-sama to cut the the ribbon and officially open the bridge to the masses!"

Naruto nodded and took the scissors from Tazuna as the crowd cheered. Walking over to the ribbon, he motioned for Inari to come forward. When Inari was standing beside him, Naruto said, "In honour of your father, Kaiza, I ask you Inari to cut the ribbon with me!"

Inari and the crowd was shocked at the statement but Inari quickly shook away the shock and placed a hand on the scissors with Naruto. As they placed the ribbon between the scissors, the crowd cheering increased right before it reached it's climax when the two cut the ribbon before handing over the scissors to Tazuna.

"People of Nami, I hereby declare The Bridge of Freedom, Kaiza to be open to the general public. May it bring luck to the weary travellers that cross over it!"

Cheers from the crowd reverberated throughout the bridge's stone foundation as Naruto smiled before waving to the crowd and vanishing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

"Please tell me something interesting is going to happen Izumo!" Kotetsu complained just as Naruto walked up to them, alone.

Before the gate guards could blink, Naruto placed a scroll on the ground before placing a hand on the edge of the scroll. A massive puff of smoke erupted from the scroll as Naruto himself dispersed into smoke. As the smoke cleared, Izumo and Kotetsu could feel their jaws drop.

In front of the gates were a large crowd of people with Teams 7 and 10 at the front. Behind them were men,women and children of many different ages. Overall, they could count over thirty people. One of them being Momochi Zabuza.

"Huh! What's going on Naruto-sama?" Izumo asked with confusion only for a Cat masked Anbu to appear with a scroll in her hands. Giving the scroll to Izumo, she turned to Naruto and bowed.

"I hope you had a nice trip Uzumaki-sama. If you would, please allow me to escort your group to the Uzumaki Clan compound. Hokage-sama requests that you report to him. Teams 7 and 10 follow Uzumaki-sama!"

Everyone nodded only for Sakura to interrupt, "Be that as it may Neko, I have a patient who needs to be hospitalized immediately. Please inform Hokage-sama that I will arrive after that is done. Honoka-san please follow me. Dōmon-san, please get situated with your children. I will come by and show you to your wife's room later!"

The Konjiki's nodded as Honoka came to stand beside Sakura and placed a hand on the shoulder of the pink haired medic. Right before Sakura could shunshin away, Naruto called out, "Admit her into the ward reserved for the Uzumaki, Sakura. I will come by later to get the prognosis!"

Sakura nodded to Naruto before she and her patient vanished in a swirl of water.

"Neko, all of them already have the admittance seal on them. Just get them situated. Moka-obasama can easily unseal the buildings for everyone." Naruto said pointing to the fifty three looking woman with red and silver hair. "Obasama, as the Clan Elder, please take charge of everyone in my absence!"

"Don't worry Naruto-sama, I will be happy to help. It's been so long since I have been in Konoha. Last time was when I was visiting Mito-neesan after the birth of her granddaughter. She showed me everything about the compound then." Moka said it a smile.

Naruto nodded before he turned to the ninja and said, "Haku, Fū and Zabuza, follow me. The quicker I get you three recognized as Uzu ninja, the better. Don't need the likes of Danzō going after you."

The three nodded as they walked forward and stood behind Naruto. Naruto turned to the Konoha shinobi beside him and nodded as he grabbed hold of Fū and Haku's shoulders while Zabuza placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder before the four vanished in a swirl of wind. Beside them Kakashi and Sasuke vanished in a swirl of flames. Team 10 on the other hand vanished in a swirl of leaves.

With all the ninja gone, Neko turned to the gathered civilians and said, "Please follow me. I will lead you to the Uzumaki Clan Compound. While we head that way, I will inform you of the important landmarks of Konoha so that you may navigate through our beautiful home without getting lost, so please pay attention."

* * *

As Naruto and his companions appeared in the Hokage office, Naruto had to duck as a wave of blunt kunai flew towards him from one shadow. Turning around, Naruto raised a palm towards the shadow before making a pulling gesture.

With a scream of surprise, Konohamaru flew out of the shadows while the Konoha shinobi chuckled. Konohamaru was floating in midair right in front of Naruto with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Ah... Yo boss, your back!"

Naruto sighed as he asked, "What have I told you about trying to assassinate jiji?"

"I wasn't! The kunai were blunted for a reason. I just wanted to check how alert he was! Jiji's getting old after all! He should hand over the hat by now!"

Hiruzen sighed and said, "I am not going to hand the hat over to you Konohamaru. You don't have the skills nor the experience yet!"

"What do you mean jiji? I never asked you to hand over the hat to me. Boss is more than ready to take the hat. I will just take it from him!" Konohamaru said with a grin causing everyone to shake their heads at the boy.

Dropping Konohamaru, Naruto said, "Head to the compound Konohamaru. I have recently induced some new clan retainers and found thirteen Uzumaki. One of them personally knew Mito-sama and had witnessed the birth of Senju Tsunade herself. I am sure she can tell you some stories about the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, not to mention, jiji as well."

Hiruzen paled in realization of who Naruto was speaking of. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to meet her. Not after the embarrassment he had to suffer for his crush on the lady.

"Really! Then see you later boss!"

Konohamaru said and was about to rush out when Naruto said, "You can start teaching the basics of ninshu to those who are interested and make sure not to use you know what in front of the women and girls. I don't think I have to warn you of the consequences again."

Konohamaru grinned and nodded before vanishing in a swirl of leaves surprising Naruto. Turning to Hiruzen, Naruto asked, "Did you teach him the shunshin?"

"Not directly. He got into my old training scrolls. One of them contained the shunshin. He actually scoffed at the elemental ninjutsu scrolls. Anyway, Naruto, can I ask you why Kumo has sent a letter informing me that a deplomatic delegation will be coming soon to speak to you."

Naruto shrugged as he said, "Don't know. They probably want some kind of treaty with Uzu and the Uzumaki. Probably routine seal maintenance treaty."

"I see, well that's all good, now can I ask why you had to humiliate the Iwa contingent?"

"You are a Kage jiji. You are known as the Professor. If I have to explain it to you, then I think that Konohamaru is right. You really need to retire." Naruto said with a teasing grin.

"You know why I asked. I want to hear it directly from you!"

"To strike fear into Iwa's heart without harming them. Their arrogance allowed me to humiliate and demoralize them. With proper manipulation, I am sure I can make them agree to an alliance for fear of destruction."

"Ah... So that's why you left their Jinchūriki alone when you could have claimed them right there. You plan on using them as a trump card to force their compliance. You know, this is something Tobirama-sensei would do. Alright Naruto, I have heard enough. You can leave now. Just have the report on my desk by tomorrow morning. There's a council meeting this evening, I would advise you to come prepared. Some of the council will try and get control over Fū-chan others will try and have the ones with a bloodline create clans here."

Naruto nodded with a grin and said, "Stop worrying. I already anticipated it. Everything is already prepared. I just want them to try to pull a fast one on me!"

Hiruzen nodded as he turned to the three Uzu ninja, "Welcome to Konoha you three. I hope you find my village a fine home. I don't know if Naruto has informed you yet, but by the treaty between Konoha and Uzu, any registered Uzu shinobi can take missions under Konoha and vice versa, though it's completely voluntary but needs the permission of the Uzu Daimyō."

"Thank you Hokage-sama!" The three said bowing to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen nodded in acknowledgement before turning to the door as Izumo rushed in and started speaking, "Naruto-sama, there is an aburn haired lady and a white haired boy with glasses at the gates requesting to meet you. They said that their names were Terumi Mei and Chojuro.

Naruto nodded before turning to Hiruzen and saying, "Jiji, I am borrowing Izumo as a guide to my compound. I will see you at the Council meeting."

Hiruzen nodded as causing Izumo to bow and vanish in a swirl of leaves. After Izumo left, Hiruzen turned to Naruto and asked, "Why is the Kiri Bloodline Rebel's head here to meet you?"

"Because I asked her to!" Naruto stated as he grabbed hold of Haku and Fū's shoulders while Zabuza placed a hand on Naruto's and the four disappeared in a swirl of wind.

* * *

Naruto and his three ninja appeared in front of the entrance to the Uzumaki compound just as Izumo appeared with Mei and Chojuro. Nooding in greetings, Naruto turned to Mei and said, "Please give my your arms. Special admittance seals are needed to enter the compound for non-Uzumaki."

Mei nodded in understanding but said, "My great grandmother was an Uzumaki. Will that be sufficient?"

Naruto shook his head, "I am afraid not. The barrier only allows full, half and quarter blooded Uzumaki to enter freely."

Mei nodded as she gave her right arm to Naruto. With a smile, Naruto placed a his palm on her forearm before repeating with Chojuro. A small seal appeared on their skins.

"Thank you for your time Izumo. I can take it from here." Izumo bowed and left at the implied dismissal. Turning to Mei, Naruto said, "Follow me. Now Terumi-san, is your great grandmother still alive?"

Mei followed Naruto into the compound with Chojuro, Fū, Haku and Zabuza behind them. As they walked towards the main house, Mei said, "Unfortunately no. She passed away a couple of years ago."

Naruto nodded before turning to Zabuza and saying, "You three meet up with Moka-obasama. She will assign you your living quarters."

Thanks three ninja bowed before leaving to find the only living Uzumaki Elder as Naruto motioned for Mei and Chojuro to enter his office.

As Mei took her seat, she asked, "Did you only just return? We can come back after you have rested?"

"No need Terumi-san. I like finishing business first before relaxing. Besides I know you don't have much time to waste here, so tell me, how can I help?" Naruto asked with a disarming smile.

Mei was surprised but said, "If you truly think so, the can I be bold to ask your personal help in defeating Yagura. I know it's too much to ask, but we are really desperate. Our own Daimyō has told us that as long as the civilians are not heavily affected, he won't interfere."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Then he is either an idiot, or he would only care if his personal assets are being affected. Not a good ruler mind you. As for my help, you wish for me to take down Yagura as he is a fully realized Jinchūriki."

Mei nodded with hope only for Naruto to say, "What's in it for me? Why should I directly intervene? Giving supplies is one thing, directly involving myself is another. So I repeat, what's in it for me?"

Mei looked flabbergasted. She had hoped that he would have offered to help without any reason but now in hindsight, she was foolish to think that. Naruto was a Daimyō. She should have come prepared for this very eventuality. Taking a deep breath, Mei said, "I know we don't have much to offer at the moment, but if you help us win, I will personally force our new Kage forge an alliance with the Uzumaki. An alliance that is slightly in Uzu's favor!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the lengths Mei was willing to go for his support but started to chuckle in the end. "It seems that Zabuza was right about you. You are honourable but a bit impulsive. You have the well-being of your country and village in heart so I will help. The alliance can be discussed later, though I would have helped regardless."

Mei looked surprised but nodded with hope and glee. Standing up, Mei and Chojuro bowed as she said, "Thank you Uzumaki-sama! We are in your debt!"

"No need to bow. I wouldn't have sent Zabuza if I didn't believe that what Yagura is doing is inhumane. I am a Jinchūriki myself. I understand suffering very well. Now, why don't you rest here in the guest quarters. I have a council meeting in the evening, so I need to prepare. Tomorrow, we will go and talk to the Hokage. I am sure he won't be averse to sending some help as well!" Naruto said, standing up and motioning for Mei and Chojuro to follow.

* * *

"Moka-sama, the Konjiki family is already settled in building 3. Suiren and her fellow shōton users have decided to take over building 7 by the sandy zen garden. The Hoshigaki siblings have decided to join Zabuza-sama's new clan, so they will stay with him. Haku-sama has selected building 15 for the Yūki Clan. The rest are still undecided!" A young boy said with a grin.

"Thank you for your help Konohamaru-kun. Can you go and see if your friends are done with the guest quarters yet?"

"No need Moka-sama! Thanks to the maintenance seals, it was easy to get the guest quarters ready!" Moegi said running up to the old lady.

"That's good gaki, since Naruto-sama has a guest, who I am sure will be staying here while they work out a deal. Moka-sama, I have decided to select building 2 for my clan."

"Thank you Zabuza-kun, can you head out with the men and see to the food. Neko-san, we would be most obliged if you show them around!"

"Think nothing of it Moka-sama. Kushina-sama was my sensei. I believe that it is my duty to help sensei's remaining family anyway I can!" Neko said with a bow causing the old lady to smile.

Turning to Zabuza, Neko said, "Gather the men Momochi and meet me at the gate in half an hour."

Zabuza nodded and was about to speak when Naruto appeared with Mei and Chojuro. "No need to worry about lunch. I have already taken care of it. The Akimichi Clan will be making the delivery along with Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Moka-obasama, Takagetsu-san will be here tonight. Tomorrow, I want everyone to go and buy more clothes and training equipment for the ninja and ninja hopefuls. For the ninja equipment, I would recommend the shop, Higurashi's Weapons. Neko-san can show you where it is. Tell them that you were sent by me."

"As you wish Naruto-sama, I will prepare a list after discussing with the other ladies."

"That's fine obasama, and Moegi, can you please show Mei-san and Chojuro-san to the guest quarters."

"Hai, Naruto-nīsama! Please follow me to the guest rooms!" Mei and Chojuro smiled as Moegi took their hands and pulled them towards the guest quarters.

"Konohamaru, can you handle looking after the kids?"

"Sure thing boss! What do you need, as long as it's not a babysitting job! I am not a Genin, hire them to be babysitters!" Konohamaru said with a cheeky grin.

"Nothing like that Konohamaru, I want you to take the kids with you along with Fū, Haku and Suiren to get some games for the little ones. Here, take this scroll and note down all the costs. I will hand it over to Takagetsu-san for payment. Be responsible Konohamaru, they are new here. Be the gracious guide and show them around. If you do well, I will teach you a new technique!"

"I will take care of everything boss! Udon, get Moegi and meet me at the front gates. Haku-nēsan, Fū-nēsan, can you please get Suiren-nēchan while I gather the kids. I will meet you three at the front gates!" Konohamaru said before rushing off leaving behind a pair of amused kunoichi.

Haku turned to Naruto and said, "He is very energetic, isn't he?"

Naruto chuckled as he said, "That he is. Haku, make sure not to shy away from buying anything that catches your attention. Spread the word. Make sure everyone knows. All of you are represents the Uzumaki. There is a level of appearances and decorum all of you need to follow. Especially since each of your clans are being raised to Noble stratus."

Haku and Fū nodded when Uzumaki Tōka walked towards them with Hyūga Hiashi following her along with Neji. "Naruto-sama, Hyūga-sama is here to meet you!"

"Thank you Tōka. Can you please send some tea for us. There should be some stored in my kitchen. Bring it to the Koi Pond Garden." Tōka bowed and left to do as asked. Turning to Hiashi, Naruto said, "Please follow me. We should get out of the way of everyone as they settle in."

"I believe that is a wise decision Naruto-sama. Please lead the way!" Hiashi said with a smile. Naruto nodded as he walked towards the back of the main house with Hiashi and Neji following him.

As the Naruto and Hiashi sat down on the stone bench in front of the Koi Pond, Neji walked back a few steps before sitting on another bench just outside the hearing range.

Hiashi turned to Naruto and said, "I must say Naruto-sama that I was surprised but pleased to know how you humiliated Iwa for their transgressions against you. It bring joy to my heart that i can call such a powerful yet kind man my comrade. And I am even more pleased to know that you have found some Uzumaki survivors. I know that Kushina-hime and Minato-sama would have been proud of your accomplishments."

"Thank you for your kind words Hiashi-san, but can we get to the true reason why you are here? I doubt it's because you wished to reminiscent about late friends and comrades!"

"Ah... Straight to the point. I can understand. You must be tired, so let me not waste your time. I request that you allow Neji to rejoin your ninshu classes while contemplate adding Hanabi to them. Besides that, Neji has something to tell you." Hiashi said calling Neji over.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Neji bowed to him. "Please forgive me for my previous insolence Naruto-sama. I didn't mean to offend. I let my arrogance blind me to the truth. Please allow me to rejoin your classes."

Naruto nodded in acceptance, "Apology accepted only because I sensed that you were sincere. Hiashi-san, I will accept Neji back into the classes. As for Hanabi, I need to test her to see what level she is at before I introduce her ninshu. Send her with Hinata and Neji at dawn."

"Thank you for granting my request Naruto-sama. I will make sure to inform Hanabi and Hinata personally. Neji you may go. I have something personal to speak with Naruto-sama, if he will oblige." Neji bowed and left just as Tōka walked into the garden carrying a tea tray. Placing the tray on a small foldable table, Tōka bowed before retreating as Naruto muttered a quiet thanks.

"What is it you wish to discuss with me Hiashi-san?" Naruto said with an imperious expression causing Hiashi to gulp in fear of offending.

"I don't know if you have realized Naruto-sama, but my elder daughter has admired you for some time now. Your presence and active encouragement seems to have a positive impact on her growth. I was wondering if you would consider taking her as one of your wives?"

Naruto stared at Hiashi with an unreadable expression as he sipped on his cup of tea. After finishing the cup, Naruto gently placed the now empty cup on the tray before speaking, "Hinata is a sweet and gentle girl. I like her a lot, especially her determination to prove every misconception about he wrong. She has an in fire that is heart warming, but I can't make this decision on my own. Unless Hinata wants it of her own free will, I will never accept her as a wife. If I find that she was being pressured into accepting, that won't sit well with me. Another thing, don't inform her of this talk. I will subtly probe her during the next few meetings. If I find her reactions agreeable, then we will see about a discussions on the issue."

Hiashi nodded before he asked, "If I may be bold, may I offer some of my clansmen to help acquire supplies for your new clan members and retainers. It will take a burden of their shoulders while they settle down here. I have much manpower, especially with the Chunin exams coming up."

Naruto nodded before saying, "I would be happy to accept the help for rations only. I am sure that we can come to an agreement on the cost."

"Then I will have my clansmen start bringing over the supplies in the afternoon. How many people are now staying here?"

"Around thirty. Give or take a few."

Hiashi nodded as he said, "Then I will have it here by late afternoon at the latest. If you would please excuse me. It seems that I have a few men to rally!"

Nruto nodded dismissively causing Hiashi to bow and leave for the main gates. Naruto stood up and walked towards where he sensed Dōmon with the rest of the men.

"Dōmon, follow me. All of you don't need to worry about this months rations. The Hyūga were gracious enough to get us the supplies by this afternoon. All of you men relax while Dōmon and I visit Honoka at the hospital!"

All the men looked at each other as Naruto grabbed hold of Dōmon's shoulder and vanished in a swirl of wind.

* * *

Hiruzen, Naruto and Hideyoshi walked into the council chambers to see the ninja council ignoring the chattering civilian council. As the three entered, the whole council stood and bowed in greeting and waited till the two Daimyō and the Hokage took their seats.

"Now Hiruzen, what is the first order of business?" Hideyoshi asked causing Hiruzen to nod and say, "First, I would like to congratulate Uzumaki-dono for his fine handlig of the situation at Nami. I thank you for your quick decision to only humiliate and not harm the Iwanin. I know that this may come as a surprise, but we all on the shinobi council truly believe that you are ready for the rank of Jōnin. Your skill, power and strategy has impressed many all around the Nations. For that I hereby promote you to Jōnin!"

Naruto stood up and bowed in gratitude as Hiruzen handed him a scroll containing his Jōnin vest and his papers. "Thank you for the honor Hokage-dono. I will strive to bring more honor to Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan!"

"I have no doubt of it as does everyone else in the room. Now the second order of business, Uzumaki-dono has brought to my attention that the leader of the Kiri Rebel's is here to ask for his help. Being the kind person he is, Uzumaki-dono has decided to grant their request and directly intervene in the civil war by defeating Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage and his regime. I propose that we send some help with him as well."

Danzō narrowed his eye as he asked, "And what help are you proposing Hiruzen?"

"Naruto is taking Zabuza, the Nanabi Jinchūriki Fū and Zabuza's apprentice Yūki Haku with him. I propose sending Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke and Team 9 along with a team of Anbu."

"No not a team of Anbu, only Neko and Tora. Plus I am sure that a team of Roots would work." Naruto said causing everyone to narrow their eyes towards Danzō.

"What do you mean Naruto-sama? There is no Root anymore!"

"I am sure that you have a couple of teams that act as your personal guard. I want one of those teams. I want full command of them. I wish to see how effective your training techniques are!" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at Naruto and then Danzō but decided to keep his peace.

"Ah... I understand. I will send the best four to you tomorrow. I am sure they will be able to convince you that my training methods give good results."

"That waits to be seen!" Hiruzen grinned realizing what Naruto's plan was.

"What of the proposal?" Hiruzen asked the council only for every member of the shinobi council to agree.

"Naruto-sama, I heard that many bloodline holders came with you. Are they joining Konoha? Then I am sure I can help them settle in so that you don't have to waste much of your precious time." Koharu said with a greedy glint in her eyes.

"Unfortunately no Koharu-san, they are retainers of the Uzumaki Clan with thirteen being full blooded Uzumaki. So none of them will be joining Konoha's ranks. Though as per the alliance treaty, my ninja will be taking mission from Konoha when they want, of course with my permission. Though, until the Uzushiogakure Academy is rebuilt, they will be training here like it was common during the early days of Konoha."

"I see Naruto-sama." Koharu said with a dejected tone right before Shikaku asked, "If you don't mind Naruto-sama, can we hear first hand details of your fight with Iwa? I heard the most fanciful tale of you deconstructing a bijūdama and absorbing it!"

Naruto nodded as he explained the situation and his actions to everyone, even his thoughts of how he could have done better in some places. After finishing, Naruto nodded to Shibi and said, "I can feel your curiosity Shibi-san, why don't you just ask?"

Shibi nodded and asked, "What I was wondering is how you deconstructed the bijūdama?"

"It's quite easy if you understand the concept behind the creation of a bijūdama. To put it simply, the bijūdama is a unbalanced mixture of yin and yang chakra that makes it highly unstable and explosive. I used my understanding of senjutsu to detect the slight variance in the mixture and added senjutsu chakra to stabilize and then separate the yin and yang components. After that, I flooded the separated components with natural energy. The interesting thing about natural energy is that it converts excess chakra into itself. That's why learning Senjutsu is so difficult. Wrong balancing tends to change the chakra in the body into natural energy which leads to petrification. The same happened to the constituent yin and yang components. They were completely transformed into natural energy which I could easily absorb or dissipate at leasure. Does that answer your question?"

Everyone stared at Naruto with awed expressions. From his explanation, they realized just how dangerous a Sennin could be. With their skills in manipulating natural energy, every jutsu was useless against them.

Hiruzen shook his head in exasperation before asking, "No need for such a detailed explanation Naruto-kun. You just gave the idea to many people. I really don't think it is wise to reveal your trump cards like that."

"What do you mean jiji? No one but Gamamaru-sensei can even hope to use it at the moment. Not even Jiraiya, Fukasaku or Shima." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Hiruzen nodded with relief before he asked, "I read that you used ketsueki bunshin. How well does it work? And what of the battle fūinjutsu?"

"The bunshin is incomplete. It isn't fully self-aware as I wanted it to be. It is just a glorified kage bunshin, just more durable. As for battle fūinjutsu, I still have a long way to go." Hiruzen nodded in understanding.

"Naruto-sama, what are you going to do in retaliation against the unprovoked attack on your person by Iwa?" Danzō asked causing Naruto to grin and say, "Now that would be telling, especially since it doesn't directly involved Konoha. Unless you want to go to war with Iwa."

"What do you mean, you can take away Iwa's Jinchūriki for the transgression?" Danzō asked only for Naruto to refute, "And that will only stand if I activate the clause as a Daimyō. Since I am not the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni, I will be claiming the Jinchūriki for Uzu. So as I said, the situation doesn't directly effect Konoha."

Danzō frowned but nodded in agreement with Naruto's statement. Before anyone else could interrupt, Hideyoshi said, "Naruto-kun, the Iwa Daimyō has called for the annual Daimyō meeting to be held at Iwa a month after the Chunin Exams. Please make sure to keep your schedule free during that time. Now council dismissed. I have something personal to speak with Naruto-kun and Hiruzen"

After the council chambers emptied, Hideyoshi and Hiruzen turned to Naruto and asked, "Why do you want former Root under you Naruto?"

"What do you mean former? They are still active against your orders. Danzō is just hiding it very well. You won't be able to prove anything unless your were a sensor of my caliber. Let me handle Danzō. I will make sure that Danzō loses control of his private army." Naruto said with a grin.

"You are playing a very dangerous game Naruto-kun. Men like Danzō aren't to be underestimated." Hideyoshi said with Hiruzen nodding in agreement.

"Don't worry so much. If required, I will personally trim the corrupt roots so that the tree will remain healthy."

"Then we shall trust you with the job. Just be careful and don't take unnecessary risks!" Naruto nodded before he bid the two old men goodnight and disappeared in a swirl of wind.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _N/A_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

 ** _Bijūdama = Tailed Beast Ball_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	15. Chapter 14 - Mission to Kiri

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 _"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 1** **4** **–** **Mission to Kiri**

Mei followed Naruto through the Hokage Mansion towards the secure meeting room. She had left Chojuro at the Uzumaki compound. With them, two Anbu with cat masks, a man and a woman were following them. Behind the Anbu were Team 7, Naruto's team.

As they reached a pair of large wooden doors, two hidden Anbu fell from the cieling. Bowing to Naruto, the Anbu pushed open the door before standing aside. Entering the room, Mei looked about and saw that it was quite large.

Behind a large wooden desk, sat Hiruzen and Hideyoshi with a place free on Hideyoshi's right. Mei noticed that Naruto didn't even hesitate as he took the free seat. Mei raised an eyebrow at the subtle power play.

"Team Gai and Danzō's team didn't here yet?" Naruto queried with a bit of annoyance.

"They will be here soon Naruto-kun. We are the ones who are early after all." Hideyoshi said with a smile while Hiruzen nodded.

"I was sure I was on time! Anyway, this is Terumi Mei-san. She is the leader of the Kiri Bloodline Rebel's. Mei-san, these are Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage and Hideyoshi-dono, the Fire Daimyō."

Mei bowed as she said, "It's an honor to be in your presence. I thank you for hearing my request!"

"Request! You didn't tell her Naruto-kun?" Hideyoshi asked only for Naruto to shake his head.

"Ah... It seems to have slipped my mind. I was discussing different tactics with Kakashi-sensei, Neko and Tora." Hideyoshi nodded as Naruto turned to Mei and said, "I didn't bring you here to make a request of aid. I have already taken care of it. Konoha and by extension Hi no Kuni are willing to offer aid. I brought you here to introduce you to the team and to brief the team."

Mei's eyes widen in shock before she bowed and said, "I am grateful for your initiative on my behalf Naruto-sama!"

Naruto was about to speak when the doors opened again revealing Team Gai being lead in by Gai himself along with a team of four blank masked Anbu with Danzō leading them.

"Ah... Danzō, Team Gai! Good morning, please take a seat everyone. We wish to get into the crux of matter." Hiruzen said as he motioned for everyone to seat.

Everyone bowed before taking a seat in front of the desk. After everyone was comfortable, Hideyoshi motioned for Naruto to continue.

Clearing his throat, Naruto said, "You all are here because Mei-san here has requested Uzu's aid in defeating Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage. Konoha has decided to help. Mei-san is the present leader of the Kiri Bloodline Rebel's. Any questions? You may speak freely!"

The genin of team Gai looked at each other in confusion while Sasuke just looked focused. Sakura was looking determined with Kakashi looking at Naruto with boredom. Danzō and his men along with the two Anbu were stoic. It was Gai who spoke.

"If I may Hokage-sama, why choose my team? I can understand Kakashi's team and myself, but my genin as well?"

"I can understand your confusion Gai, but to be blunt, your commander recommend you and your team."

Gai nodded before asking, "May I assume that our commander will be Naruto-sama? I heard the rumors that he has been recently promoted to Jōnin."

Hiruzen nodded with a smile, "That's right! It seems that your information gathering g skills haven't dulled in the past year you have been a Jōnin Sensei. You will be joined by some Uzu shinobi as well."

"I see Hokage-sama and congratulations to you for your promotion Naruto-sama!" Gai said getting a nod from Naruto.

"Now I am sure you genin are wondering why you have been chosen to go help in a war." Hiruzen said getting a nod from Team Gai. With a smile, Hiruzen said, "Most of you have learned ninshu under Naruto-kun and mastered it to an appreciable degree. We are sending you to gain experience in real time. Since Naruto-kun will be there, he will evaluate and help you progress more."

The genin nodded in understanding while Neji just looked confused. After a moments silence, Naruto spoke up, "Danzō, is this the team I will be observing and commanding?"

"Hai Naruto-sama! These is Alpha. My best team. Their Captain is Homura. His speciality is shape transformation on fire natured chakra. The others I will let them introduce themselves when you have more time. Team, you shall serve under Naruto-sama as the commander."

"Hai Danzō-sama! It will be an honor to serve under you Naruto-sama!" Homura said with a bow as the rest of his team bowed as well.

Naruto nodded before turning to Hiruzen and said, "I was wondering if you have any need for Sai, jiji? Because, now that I think about it, this will be a good time to test out Sai as well. His progress has been stellar in comparison to the other genin other than Sakura."

"He is in the reserves, so it's up to you Naruto-kun. Do as you like. Mei-san, I ask that you rest for this week while we all arrange for supplies to be sealed into scrolls. Genin, I hope that I don't have to stress how being prepared is important in this mission. This will be an S-ranked mission just because of the close proximity to an enemy Jinchūriki and an army in their own back yard. Make sure you have stocked up on tools, pills and rations. Naruto-kun, do you have anything to add?"

"Everyone, meet me at training ground 43 tomorrow at noon. We will have a few teamwork exercises and a planning session. Mei-san, I would advise you to join us. Your input will be very welcome in preparation for the mission. We will leave for the mission a week from today. We will meet at the eastern gate at 0600 hours. Make sure to be prepared so that we aren't delayed, yes that means you Tenten. Dismissed! Kakashi-sensei, can you escort Mei-san back to the Uzumaki compound?"

"Sure thing Naruto!"

"And Neko, tell Sai to come to the Uzumaki compound in an hour." Neko nodded with a bow before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

"So, what will you be up to now Naruto-kun?" Hideyoshi asked only for Naruto to hand over a pair of letters. Hideyoshi looked surprised before opening the letters and quickly pursuing through the contents. After finishing with them, Hideyoshi handed them over to Hiruzen who did the same.

Handing them back, Hiruzen asked, "Why show us these letters?"

"I was hoping for some advice. Hiashi-san approached me yesterday about Hinata's feelings for me. I was originally going to just subtly probe Hinata for her intentions but getting those letters have left me a bit uncertain on the matter. Mom and Hinata's mother had a verbal agreement for an alliance through marriage. I know that my heritage doesn't matter to Hinata, especially since she has had a crush on me since we were far younger. Then there were these talks father had with the priestess of Oni no Kuni. I really don't know what to do. I won't mind marrying Hinata, as long as the Hyūga elders doesn't try and manipulate her. What should I do? I wish to honour both of their wishes!"

Hiruzen and Hideyoshi smiled as Hideyoshi said, "It is a wise man who asks for advice even though they have some ideas themselves. I say that you agree to marry Hinata-san, but on your own terms. Don't let those foolish elders dictate the contract. The Uzumaki are a higher house. If you want, I and Hiruzen would love to help you show those fools their place. As for Oni no Kuni, what do you suggest Hiruzen."

"I would say that you go and meet with the priestess. I am sure that she has a daughter your age. Oni has been an ally of Konoha since the birth of the village. The only reason I can think of Minato supporting an union with the princess will be to try and get their unique dōjutsu. Rumors state that the females of the priestess's line has the ability to glimpse into the future. It is up to you Naruto-kun, but you can be sure that Miroku-dono is an honorable lady and so must be her daughter."

Naruto nodded before saying, "Thank you for the advice. I will consider them. I must be going, if you are free tonight, I would like to invite you both to dine at the Uzumaki compound."

"I would love to visit Naruto-kun, just know that I will be bringing Shijimi-chan and Kanna-chan with me. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all. The more the merrier! What about you Jiji?"

"I will be sure to come. I am sure you have already invited Konohamaru." Hiruzen said with a smile as Naruto nodded. "Then we will see you later tonight. Have a good day Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded as a clone phased into existence beside him and disappeared in a swirl of wind along with the original.

"I am afraid that Naruto-kun is taking too much on his plate too soon. He will burn himself out." Hideyoshi said with worry only for Hiruzen to chuckle.

"I doubt it. He was smart enough to fool the whole of Konoha. Thanks to him, we have been able to shore up our defenses. The small oversights in security he and Sakura used to exploit in getting out of Konoha. I am sure he is smart enough to realize when he need rest. But yet, I will make sure that he takes some rest after returning from Kiri."

"Make sure that you do Hiruzen. I have a feeling that his continued well being is important to the world." Hideyoshi said with a somber expression.

Hiruzen nodded, "So do I. Gamamaru-sama taking him in as an apprentice was the first sign. All the summons are interested in Naruto. Enma himself believes that Naruto-kun is the Yogen no Ko."

"The child of prophecy? What prophecy do you mean?"

"Enma wasn't much forthcoming with information. The only reason I know much about the prophecy is because Gamamaru-sama has revealed it's contents to Jiraiya."

Hideyoshi nodded before saying, "That's quite interesting Hiruzen, but I think we should keep such discussions to ourselves. There is no telling what would happen if the general population learns of it."

"I agree with you Hideyoshi-sama. The only reason I support everything Naruto-kun does is because Gamamaru-sama has said that all of Naruto-kun's decisions will only better the world. From Gamamaru-sama's tone, I believe that interfering in Naruto-kun's affairs will only lead to ill results."

"That is concerning that a sage of Gamamaru-sama's caliber would imply such a thing. Then again, all of his actions have only benefited Konoha and Uzu. I will see you tonight Hiruzen. I have to give my wife and granddaughter time to get ready. I still can't understand how they take over eight hours to get ready while I only take one."

Hiruzen nodded, "Then I shall humbly ask that you forgive me for not escorting you out of the mansion, but I still have a lot of paperwork to finish before tonight."

"Aren't you using kage bunshin as Naruto-kun suggested?"

"I am, but it seems that shadow clones have a personality of their own. Some tend to laze about. Then there are the papers that need blood seals for authentication."

Hideyoshi nodded as he stood up, "Then I shall leave you to it."

* * *

"Hey Naruto-kun! What's this I hear about you being promoted?" Ino called out as Naruto appeared in front of the Hyūga estate.

Naruto chuckled as he turned and greeted team 10. "Hey guys! How's it going?"

"Troublesome blonde. When were you going to tell us about your promotion?" Shikamaru asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah! You should give us a treat!" Chōji said munching on his bag of chips.

"How the hell did you guys learn about it so quickly? I was promoted just last night during the council meeting. Anyway, I have a meeting with Hiashi-san, so if you will excuse me."

"Sure thing, but we need to celebrate! The first of our age group to be promoted! Why don't you meet us at Yakiniku Q tonight, my treat!"

"When did you win a lottery Ino? Hey Naruto, congratulations for being promoted to Jōnin man!"

"What? Jōnin!" Ino exclaimed in shock. "What the hell are you talking about dog breath?"

"Mom told the whole clan last night! The council has unanimously promoted Naruto to Jōnin after his performance in Nami! You should see his bingo book entry. I already knew he was S-ranked, but to get a flee on sight from two separate countries is amazing!" Kiba bragged with pride.

"Congratulations Naruto-sama!" Hinata said with a minor stutter while Shino just nodded in agreement.

"Thanks all of you. And Ino, I am sorry to say that I am occupied tonight. I have some guests from Kiri and Hideyoshi-jiji, his family, Hokage-jiji and Konohamaru will be coming over tonight. How about you all come by the day after tomorrow for the party. I am sure Moka-obasama will be pleased to meet all of my friends."

"Who's Moka-obasama?" Kiba asked with confusion only for Ino to squeal out, "A living Uzumaki who survived the purge! Naruto-kun found thirteen living full blooded Uzumaki in Nami! They are all here now."

"What? Naruto isn't alone anymore? Hey Naruto, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Kiba asked only to find that Naruto and Hinata had vanished. "What? Where did they go?"

"While you were busy hearing what Ino-san was saying, Naruto-sama and Hinata walked into the Hyūga compound. It seems that Naruto-sama has invited Hinata to the meeting with Hiashi-san." Shino said with a monotone causing Kiba to grumble.

"Hey, Ino! When did you meet the Uzumaki survivors?" Kiba asked turning to Ino only to find team 10 had left as well. "What the hell? Where did everyone go now? Do you know Shino?"

Hearing no answer, Kiba turned to see that even Shino had left him standing in front of the Hyūga estate with Akamaru on his head. "You know Akamaru, I now understand what it means to be ignored. How the hell did Naruto deal with such things for so long?"

Akamaru barked consolingly as Kiba walked off towards his clan compound.

* * *

"Welcome to the Hyūga estate Naruto-sama. And welcome home daughter."

Naruto nodded as Hinata replied, "I am home father!"

"Come, follow me to my study Naruto-sama. Hinata, get cleaned up and rested. Your grandfather wishes to test you on your jūken."

"Actually Hiashi-san, I think that it would be better if Hinata-chan joins us. Don't you agree?"

Hiashi looked like he bit into a rather sour lemon. Nodding, Hiashi said, "Of course Naruto-sama. Daughter, quickly refresh yourself and come back. Kō, send for some tea and refreshments. I am sure Naruto-sama will appreciate a small snack."

Kō bowed and quickly retreated while Hinata bowed to Naruto before leaving to quickly refreshen herself. After they were gone, Hiashi motioned for Naruto to follow him to the study.

After taking a seat, Hiashi asked, "How did Hanabi perform this morning Naruto-sama?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Much better than I expected of one her age. Her chakra control is impeccable. It will be a great boon in her training. The only reason she will be held back is because of the rigid mentality I see in her. Not only her, but in Neji as well. I haven't taught other Hyūga, but from their performance in jūken in comparison to Hinata's, I would say that it was a mentality that was bred into them. Hinata's mentality is more progressive. Because of that, her performance is greater in ninshu. While I'm not saying that her mentality is wrong, but it isn't the right one to truly prosper in ninshu. One needs to be creative. Unfortunately, they aren't."

"I see. So you say that their training in jūken is holding them back?" Hiashi asked with a hard tone.

"Not at all. It isn't the jūken that is holding them back. It is your clans subconscious beliefs of superiority of the jūken and inferiority of other arts. That is the mentality I am speaking about. From what little I have observed through my emotion sensing, most Hyūga have similar beliefs. If you wish that I keep teaching Hanabi the ways of ninshu, then I request that you or your clan elders don't interfere. If you believe that it is impossible for you to not interfere, then tell me so that I won't waste my time."

"I see Naruto-sama. You have given me much to consider, but I can promise you that neither the elders nor I shall intervene unless we think that your training is being detremental to Hanabi's growth."

Naruto nodded as Kō walked into the room with a tray of tea and sweets. Kneeling down, Kō quickly poured out three glasses of herbal tea before placing the cups in front of their recipients, one for the absent Hinata, before getting up, bowing and quickly retreating out of the room.

Naruto and Hiashi picked up their own cups and started sipping when Hinata and Hanabi entered the room. Bowing, Hinata took the free place beside Hiashi before sipping her own tea. Hanabi looked confused but bowed and was going to sit down beside Hinata when Hiashi said, "Hanabi, this meeting is not for you. I will speak to you later."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes as she stiffly bowed and stood up to leave when Naruto said, "Hanabi, come sit by me. I am sure your Chichi-ue won't mind. After all the results of this discussion will effect you as well."

Hiashi looked startled for a moment but quickly hid it and said, "Of course Naruto-sama. I just assumed you wanted it to be private."

"Yes. Private, but not from immediate family." Naruto said with a no nonsense tone as Hanabi sat down beside Naruto with a confused look. Hinata on the other hand looked at Naruto with suspicion before recalling the discussion they had in the morning and blushed. Hanabi quirked an eyebrow at her elder sister's strange behavior but decided to only listen.

"First, I would like all of you to read this before we proceed. It is a letter my mother left for me." Naruto said handing it to Hanabi with a small smirk. Naruto could feel the annoyance Hiashi was giving off.

After reading the letter, Hanabi handed it back to Naruto who then handed it to Hinata. Hiashi looked at Hanabi with barely concealed shock. It was quite unlike Hanabi to act that way. Normally, she would have handed the letter to him to return. Hiashi was so deep in contemplation of his younger daughter's behavior that he was surprised when the letter was handed to him. Schooling his mind, Hiashi quickly read the letter. Only one paragraph caught his attention.

* * *

 _Naruto-kun, I would like that you honor the verbal agreement I had with Hyūga Hitomi, if she gave birth to a daughter. She is one of my only friends in Konoha. I was named godmother to her first child. I hope that you and her child gets along._

* * *

With shaky hands, Hiashi gave the letter back to Naruto and asked, "Why didn't you tell me? I didn't know of their verbal agreement!"

"Why didn't you tell me that my mother was Hinata-chan's godmother? I am sure you knew!" Naruto replied only for Hiashi to say, "I didn't think it relevant in the situation. I didn't want you to feel obligated while making your decision."

Naruto nodded while Hanabi asked in shock, "This is about your marriage to nē-sama!"

"Hanabi! Mind your manners!"

"No need to scold her Hiashi-san. I am surprised that she didn't realize what the meeting was about right away. Hinata did."

"Hinata-chan, I know that you like me a lot. I can easily feel your emotions. What I want to know is your thoughts on a possible marriage with me. Don't let the letter or anyone else pressure you into accepting. I will only consider this if you are sure that it's what you want. I will be leaving for Kiri next week. I should return within two weeks. With the position the rebels are in now, Yagura and his forces will be defeated within that time. You have until then to consider the offer. To be truthful, I kinda like you as well, so don't think that I am doing this out of duty. You are one of the first to treat me as myself. That makes you very precious to me. Now I will leave you to your thoughts. Hiashi-san, Hanabi, walk with me. I wish to talk to you about ninshu training."

With that said, Naruto stood up with Hiashi and Hanabi. As they were about to leave, Hanabi looked at her sister to see the girl was daydreaming with her face glowing like a cherry in snow.

Grinning, Hanabi filed away the blackmail material away for future teasing and ran after her father and Naruto.

* * *

As evening approached, the people within the Uzumaki compound were becoming more frantic. The clan heads of the newly formed Momochi, Konjiki and Makesshō clans and the newly reformed Yūki clan were fidgeting about beside Naruto. Behind them stood the members of their clans, children included. All of them dressed in their finest robes. Right behind the clan heads stood their respective clan elders, who for the Momochi, Konjiki and Makesshō were none.

Just as the sun was setting, Konohamaru and Sakura appeared in formal kimonos, with Sakura pulling on Konohamaru's ear. "What have I told you about using such a vulgar jutsu Kono-kun!"

Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine at Sakura's sweet tone. It reminded him of the tone Tsunade tends to have right before punishing Jiraiya. Naruto hoped for Konohamaru's sake that he didn't use the oiroke no jutsu. He should have never taught him that jutsu in this timeline.

"Forgive me Sakura-nēsama! I promise I won't use the oiroke no jutsu again! I just used it to punish baka Ebisu!" Konohamaru pleaded only for Sakura to crash a fist on his head growling out, "Baka hentai!"

"Boss! Save me!" Konohamaru called as he ran towards Naruto with a large welt on his head. Sakura and Naruto just shook their heads before greeting each other.

"It seems that you finally took my advice and bought more formal kimonos. You look handsome in that." Sakura said with a smile. Naruto was wearing a burnt orange kimono with black lightning like patterns flowing randomly through the fabric.

"You look wonderful as well Sakura-chan. The deep red really contrasts your hair." Naruto replied eyeing Sakura's deep red kimono with sky-blue sakura petal embroidery.

"Hey boss, what about me?" Konohamaru asked striking a pose. Sakura and Haku giggled as Naruto said, "You look like a well dressed monkey!"

Konohamaru pouted as Naruto ruffled Konohamaru's spiky hair. Konohamaru was wearing a black kimono with yellow flames licking up the hems.

"Konohamaru stop running away so much!" Hiruzen scolded as he walked up to the entrance of the compound with Hideyoshi and Hideyoshi's family.

"Yo Jiji! You really need to hand over the hat. You can't even keep up with me anymore!" Konohamaru teased causing Sakura and Naruto to shake their heads.

"Good evening Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan. I hope Konohamaru hasn't been a nuisance."

"Good evening Hokage-sama, Daimyō-sama, Shijimi-sama, Kanna-sama!" Sakura greeted with a bow.

"Yes, good evening! I hope you all have brought a big appetite along because my clan members and retainers have busied themselves fixing up a scrumptious feast."

"Good evening Naruto-kun! I must tell you, I was shocked to hear from Hideyoshi-kun what you did to the Iwanin. What were you thinking young man, taking on a contingent of elite Iwanin along!" Shijimi scolded with mock anger.

"Sorry for worrying you Shijimi-bāchan, but I was confident that they weren't a threat." Naruto said with a grin.

Shijimi smiled as Hideyoshi said, "I should have warned you Naruto-kun. Good evening!"

"Good evening Naruto-sama!" Kanna said with a bow. Naruto nodded with a smile before turning to his guests and saying, "Now that everyone is here, I can introduce my clan elders and the heads and elders of my retainer clans."

"Ah... Now I see the reason for the dinner. You wish to show off you clan and clan retainers! If I had realized that, I would have brought my own entourage of retainers to counter!" Hideyoshi said with a teasing grin.

Naruto smiled and said, "I am sure that my clan and retainers would outshine yours! Anyway, this is Uzumaki Moka-obasama."

"Well met Hideyoshi-sama, Shijimi-sama, Kanna-hime, Hiruzen-kun!" Moka greeted with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Seeing the glint, Hiruzen started sweating while the others looked strangely at Moka.

They nodded their heads in greetings as Naruto then introduced, "I am sure this man requires no introduction but for the case of formality, this is Momochi Zabuza, head if the newly formed Momochi Noble Clan of Uzushiogakure."

"Greetings!" Zabuza said with a bow forgoing any smiling to avoid startling anyone with his shark like teeth.

"This is Konjiki Dōmon, head of the newly formed Konjiki Noble Clan of Uzushiogakure."

"Greetings! It is a humbling experience to be in the presence of such great men and their families." Dōmon said with a bow and a smile.

"This young lady is Suiren of the newly formed Makesshō Noble Clan of Uzushiogakure."

"Welcome to the Uzumaki Clan Compound! I hope you have a pleasant evening!" Suiren said with a bow.

"This young lady is Yūki Haku of the Yūki Clan recently raised to Nobility when they joined Uzushiogakure. And the man behind her is her clan elder, Katsujin-san."

"Greetings I hope that I can be of assistance while everyone is here! Please enjoy the feast. I have personally supervised the making of the desserts!" Haku said while Katsujin bowed in greeting.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I wish you all and your clansmen a prosperous life! I am sure we all would love to hear of how you all came to be found by Naruto-kun, isn't that right Shijimi-chan? Kanna-chan?"

"Hai ōjisama!" Kanna said as Shijimi nodded in agreement before looking about with a frown.

"Does something displeases you Shijimi-bāchan?" Naruto asked with a frown only for the woman to shake her head and say, "Nothing of that nature. I was just trying to see if your teammate, Uchiha-san was here or not."

"I didn't really invite anyone else. The reason Sakura-chan is here is because she is both a trusted friend and the clan doctor. She tends to take her duty too seriously sometimes, making sure that I don't deviate from her prescribed diet."

"And with good cause! You would try and subsist only on ramen. I will not allow such a travesty to pass!" Sakura said with a glare causing many to snicker at Naruto's expense before Moka spoke up.

"You know Sakura-chan, we Uzumaki have always been addicted to ramen ever since the dish was first created. To try and wean off an Uzumaki from ramen is like weaning off a fish from water!"

"I am not trying to wean Naruto off ranen, I am just making sure that he doesn't stunt his growth. As his personal doctor, I think you can forgive me of my stance!"

"Let us take this to the dining room, I am sure that we will have an entertaining discussion on the merits of ramen!" Hideyoshi said with a grin as Naruto nodded in agreement before leading his guests, clan elder and the heads and elders of the retainer clans to the dining room.

As the group was about to partake in the scrumptious feast in front of them, Haku's aunt walked into the room with Jiraiya following behind. "I am sorry to disturb you and your guests Naruto-sama but Jiraiya of the Sannin is here. As per your orders, I have escorted him to you!"

"Really Naruto! What the hell were you thinking taking on a whole contingent of Iwanin alone? I mean come on, even Han and Roshi were present!" Jiraiya said without even taking in who were present in the room.

A short chuckle drew the white haired sages eyes causing them to bug out in shock. , Jiraiya declared, "Please forgive my insolence Hideyoshi-sama! I didn't realize you were in the room, not with the worry I had over my godson's crazy actions!"

"No need to bow Jiraiya. You have done enough for Konoha and Hi no Kuni to get that privilege. Now come and join us, I am sure Naruto-kun will agree with me." Hideyoshi said with a sideways glance to Naruto, who just nodded in agreement causing Jiraiya to sigh in relief before taking a seat beside his old sensei, the Hokage.

"Yo sensei!"

"Good to have you back Jiraiya, but why have you come back so soon? I thought that you were out searching for Orochimaru's whereabouts?"

"I was, I just came back to scold Naruto for his crazy stunt before heading off towards Mizu no Kuni. I have information that there is a hidden base somewhere on a more remote island. I just want to make sure that the snake isn't hold up there. Ah, thank you!" Jiraiya said taking the saucer of sake before something caught his attention."

Everyone watched with amusement as Jiraiya looked about with shock before exclaming, "Where did all these people come from?"

"I was wondering when you would realize that there were more people than you expected!" Hiruzen said with a grin.

"Really Ero-sennin, spy master of Konoha, are you saying that even you are fallible? From what I know about you, you would learn of an event before it occurs! Are you getting too old of late?" Naruto said with a chuckle as Jiraiya huffed in indignation causing everyone else to snicker.

"Anyway, let me introduce you to everyone! You already know jiji, Hideyoshi-jiji, Shijimi-bāchan, Kanna-hime, Sakura-chan and Konohamaru. The rest are members of the Uzumaki Clan or retainer Clans of Uzu."

Jiraiya dumbly nodded with wide eyes as everyone introduced themselves. After introductions were over, Jiraiya asked, "How did you find so many people so fast?"

"Nami!" Was all Naruto said causing Jiraiya to frown in confusion before his eyes widened in realization. "They hid out in Nami? Why the hell didn't I ever think of that happening!"

"And finally, this is Terumi Mei-san of the Kiri Rebels." Mei nodded in greetings.

"The rebel head? I don't even want to know why she's here!" Jiraiya said as Fū walked into the room carrying another platter of food. Jiraiya looked up to thank her when he realized who was serving him.

"I heard what happened in Taki," turning to Naruto, Jiraiya said, "I am amazed at how easily you forced Taki to concede their Jinchūriki. Now that I think about it, how the hell did you trick Iwa into thinking that you dissipated a bijūdama?"

Everyone looked at Jiraiya with barely concealed amusement as Zabuza said, "I was there Jiraiya-sama! I can assure you that Naruto-sama really did separate a bijūdama into two halves before absorbing one half and dissipating the other!"

Jiraiya felt his jaw drop at the revelation. He just couldn't think of anyway to do that. Before the white haired shinobi could ask Naruto said, "Before you ask, I can't teach it to you. Not with the level of senjutsu mastery you, Fukasaku-sempai and Shima-sempai have. Only I and Gamamaru-sensei can do it at the moment."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding, "Ah... Now I understand. You used your connection to nature to separate and dissipate the bijūdama. Interesting concept!"

"Close but not exactly, I used pure natural energy manipulation. I will tell you later!" Jiraiya nodded in agreement as they all began to socialize and have dinner.

* * *

"Now that everyone is here..." Naruto said sending an amused glance to a sheepish Kakashi, "Mei-san can you please explain to us the condition of the war when you left?"

Mei nodded, "We have nearly won the war. Most of our army is hidden close to Kiri. Unfortunately, Yagura has an elite task force assigned to disrupt our supply line and our informants. This has allowed Yagura to push us back a bit. While we can still win, there would be immense loss of innocent lives in the effort."

"I see. Then what you truly want us that we help you in the final battle that is on the horizon."

"That's right. We also have intelligence that Yagura may just be under control of someone. Maybe be some kind of control seal. That's the reason I want your help. While killing him is something within my ability, though after a brutal battle, that's without him going full Bijū on us. The collateral damage will be immense. I have hope that you will be able to defeat him without much effort like you did to the Iwa's Jinchūriki!"

Naruto nodded as Gai asked, "Naruto-taichō, how will we be helping?"

"Good question Gai! That's easy, while I engage Yagura, I want you all to take care of his loyal supporters. Try not to kill everyone. The genin will be doing hit and run attacks on the flanks, but their main job will be to escort the supplies and protect the medical area. Root, you shall be leading the espionage engagements against Yagura's forces and free up the supply lines. Neko, Tora, you two will lead the genin in their missions. Rest of you will be doing whatever is necessary at the time. Now for the teamwork exercises!" Naruto said as a huge burst of smoke filled the clearing behind him. As the smoke cleared, hundreds of Naruto clones occupied the previously empty field.

"Oh great! We become targets for Naruto's experiments again!" Sasuke grumbled as everyone quickly rushed into the forests around the clearing.

Chojuro asked, "They are only clones! How will this help?"

"It's not about power, it's about learning to work together and overcoming superior odds against you. Besides, these are more durable than normal clones. Why don't you try and see?"

Chojuro looked at Mei who nodded in permission. Chojuro heafted hiramekarei before bringing it down on the one clone in the clearing. To his surprise, the clone was thrown back but didn't dispel.

"Now do you understand why I am using clones?" Chojuro nodded with a blush as Naruto continued, "Besides, I didn't really defeat the Iwa contingent. It was a single clone."

Mei and Chojuro felt their jaws drop and eyes bug out at the revelation. Leaving the duo in their stupor, Naruto sat down and started to meditate.

* * *

"Pathetic! I expected more from all of you. The genin, I can understand but has peace made you all so complacent that you would ignore common sense that is prevalent during war?"

Kakashi and Gai lowered their heads in shame. What Naruto said was true. During the third shinobi world war, they were ruthless paranoid killers. Now, the made rookie mistakes. They didn't expect the ambush at a prime ambush spot. They tried to defeat all of their enemies alone without thinking of the future. And finally they failed their teams by being poor leaders.

"Both of you will be repeating this exercise until we leave. Rest of you, good job. My clones will create different scenarios. You all will be jumbled up into random teams and asked to survive the scenario! Now dismissed!"

Everyone nodded as they left the training ground. Naruto turned to Mei and said, "I am sorry you had to see that pathetic display from two of Konoha's top Jōnin."

"Don't mention it Naruto-sama. I can understand why they became complacent. Peace is both good and bad. Good for economy but bad for military. Though I would prefer peace to war any day!"

"I understand... You can come out Hinata-chan!"

Mei looked surprised at first for not sensing the girls presence but shook it off. "I will leave you two alone, shall I? Come on Chojuro, let's head back to the Uzumaki compound!"

"Hai Mei-sama!" Chojuro said as they nodded but before they could leave Naruto said, "Before you go, let me introduce Hyūga Hinata. The heiress of the Hyūga Clan. Hinata, this is Terumi Mei-san, the head of the Kiri Bloodline Rebel's and that is Chojuro, the present wielder of Hiramekarei. One of the next generation Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you both!" Hinata said with a bow.

Mei bowed back as she said, "The pleasure is ours!"

"Naruto-sama, can I talk to you privately?" Naruto didn't have to answer as Mei and Chojuro had already left in a shunshin.

"We are completely alone now Hinata-chan! What do you wish to speak to me about?"

Steeling her nerves, Hinata said with a blush, "I wish to inform you that I would be honored to be bethrothed and later married to you. I have made up my mind and haven't been influenced by anyone to accept!"

Hinata stood with tense shoulders as she waited for Naruto to reply. "You understand that I am required to have multiple wives? That doesn't bother you at all?"

"None at all! It is common among nobility and royalty, so I had always expected such a situation. Besides I know that you would never hurt me or your other wives intentionally. That's more than I can hope for!"

Naruto sighed before saying, "If you are sure, then I would be honored to accept. Inform your father that I will be by to speak of the contract after I return from Kiri. I will see you later Hinata-chan."

Hinata nodded but before Naruto left, she asked, "Can I have permission to call you Naruto-kun from now on?"

"You always had permission." Naruto said with a grin before he said, "How about I take you out to lunch tomorrow. An unofficial date, if you please!"

A bright smile dawned on the girl's face as she said, "I would love to. Right after tomorrow's training?"

Naruto nodded before placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder and vanishing in a shunshin. They reappeared in front of the Hyūga estate causing Hinata to look startled for a moment before kissing Naruto's cheek and walking into the estate with the brightest smile carved on her porcelain face calling out, "See you later Naruto-kun!"

Naruto stood there for a few moments, a palm cupping his cheek, not being able to believe the boldness the usually timid girl showed before shaking his head and vanishing.

* * *

"To Naruto-kun, the best of our generation!" Ino exclaimed as she raised a sakazuki saucer filled with the best sake in existence. Sake directly from Myōbokuzan.

"Ino, are you sure you want to drink that?" Naruto asked with uncertainty as most of his friends following the blonde kunoichi's example. Only Sakura, Haku and Sasuke refraining from partaking in the rare but strong beverage.

"Don't worry! We were all trained by our family to survive a couple of drinks!" Ino said with a cheeky grin only for Jiraiya to cough. "What? You don't believe me?"

Jiraiya just shook his head before saying, "I didn't say anything. Enjoy yourselves kids. I can guarantee that it will knock you out!"

Naruto and Sakura frowned at Jiraiya with disapproval while Kakashi and Yugao were hiding matching grins behind their respective masks. Behind them was Mitarashi Anko smelling her saucer with a giddy look in her eyes. Beside Anko was Yamato with a saucer of his own, a frown gracing his face as he smelled the overpowering stench of alcohol. On the other side of the small zen garden was Sai standing with Lee, the latter of whom was pouting at everyone for not allowing him to drink in celebration.

"Lee, don't even think about it. I will not have you transform into that unyouthful beast again!" Gai said sternly causing Tenten to release a sigh of relief. Lee just nodded.

Asuma and Kurenai looked confused at Gai's sudden change in behavior and was about to ask when Neji said, "If you are wondering why Lee is forbidden from drinking, you should know that there is a good reason for it!"

"And what is the reason?" Asuma asked only fro Gai to reply, "Lee is a master of the Drunken Fist."

Asuma just raised an eyebrow and asked, "You can't be serious? That means his instincts towards taijutsu is off the charts?"

Gai nodded solemnly as Kurenai asked, "Sorry but you two lost me here?"

"Oh right, you are not really well versed in taijutsu knowledge. The Drunken Fist can only be mastered by someone who is drunk, but the catch is that they have no formal training in the style. Only instincts guiding you. That's what Lee has mastered."

"Ha... I haven't faced off against a Drunken Fist master since the second war. I can tell you now Kurenai, that if that Lee kid can train himself into keeping conscious control when drunk, he would make Gai look like a novice." Jiraiya said walking up to the trio of Jōnin.

"Ino! I would advise you to move away from my fiancee before I make you!" Hinata hissed out with unusual venom in her tone drawing everyone's attention.

"What's happening?" Iruka asked walking towards his former students with his fellow Chunin, Izumo and Kotetsu in tow.

"Huh! What do you mean Hinata? And when did Naruto-kun become bethroed to you?" Ino asked with a flushed face as she clung to an annoyed Naruto.

Hinata narrowed her eyes as she marched up to Ino and pulled the girl off Naruto with a hissed, "Since two days ago! Now get off! Unless you want me to jūken you off!"

Ino narrowed her eyes as she clung even harder to Naruto causing Hinata to prepare a jūken strike when a glowing hand touched Hinata's head. The Hyūga heiress let her arms drop as the glowing hand receded, a blush adorning her face.

"Are you clam now Hinata?" Sakura asked as she placed a similar palm on Ino's head. After a few moments, Sakura removed the palm as Ino sagged a bit before letting go of Naruto with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Now that you two are sober again, I would advise against drinking anymore Myōbokuzan sake." The two girls nodded before Ino's eyes widened.

"That's why you asked me if we should be drinking it? You knew how potent the sake is?"

Naruto chuckled and replied, "Of course I knew! I had to finish a whole barrel of the stuff when I was sharing the official first drink with Gamabunta!"

Gamakichi chuckled and said, "I was there. Suprisingly, Dad was knocked out while bro kept drinking another barrel. That's why you are able to partake in this rare liquor. Dad had to part with several barrels cut to betting that bro would not be able to finish the first barrel."

"Great job Naruto-kun!" Anko said with a slur as she draped her arms around Naruto's shoulder and pressed her breasts into his back. Naruto's face took on a reddish hue but he nodded in appreciation.

"I don't think that's something to congratulate him about Anko!" Iruka said with an amused smile.

"Why not? I will tell you something young Iruka, if he can hold his sake this well, he deserves the praise." Teuchi said with a grin as he drunk another saucer of sake.

"That's enough sake for you father!" Ayame said as she took away the sake bottle in Teuchi's hand causing everyone to chuckle at the man's expense.

* * *

"Alright everyone! Are you all packed?" Naruto asked as everyone pointed to some scrolls in answer. Tenten carrying a massive one on her back. Naruto nodded before saying, "Good! Now Mei-san and Chojuro will be in the middle with the five genin forming a pentagram formation around them. Jōnin and Anbu will take the four points of a square around the genin. Root will be vanguard, three hundred yards in front of us. Sai and I will take rearguard, five hundred yards back. Any questions?"

Mei shared a look with Chojuro before asking, "What speed will we be going at?"

Seeing that Mei was giving worried looks at the Genin Naruto smiled reassuringly and said, "I am sure that they all can easily handle mid-jōnin speed with ease. Isn't that right guys... And girls?"

The genin nodded with Neji showing a bit of uncertainty but nodding all the same. "Well there you have it. Now as for ambushes, I can guarantee that there is no way anyone can hide from me within ten miles while I am not in Sennin mode."

Everyone nodded in understanding before Chojuro asked, "What if they supress their chakra?"

"I would like to see them supress their emotions or even their life force!" Naruto said with a chuckle before he turned to the gates and said, "Alright, form up! We move out in five..."

Everyone scrambled to get in to position before they moved out with a serious look on their faces. Jiraiya, who was tagging along with them, decided to join Mei and Chojuro in the middle.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Yogen no Ko = Child of Prophecy_**

 ** _Nē-sama = Elder sister_**

 ** _Chichi-ue = Lord Father_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _N/A_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	16. Chapter 15 - Rebellion

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 _"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 1** **5** **–** **Rebellion**

"Now that everyone is here, Zetsu tell us what you have learned of these sudden rumors concerning the Kyūbi Jinchūriki?"

"Well Pein-sama, to tell you the truth, the rumors aren't false. From what I have been able to gather, all of them are at least partially true. The rumor surrounding the Kyūbi defeating the Yonbi and Gobi Jinchūriki are true. The fact that he is a sage is also true. There are whispers of him being promoted to Jōnin already."

"Now I really want to fight him!" A shark like man said with a grin.

"Silence Kisame. If what Zetsu has said is true, then only I can defeat him." Kisame nodded at the apparent leader named Pein. "Zetsu, I want you to stop gathering information on the rest of the Jinchūriki and focus on the Kyūbi."

"As you wish Pein-sama!" Zetsu said as he faded from existence leaving behind eight other figures standing on the tips of the fingers of a gigantic grotesque looking statue.

"Leader-sama, are you sure that the Kyūbi is that dangerous to warrant your personal involvement?"

"It is better to be cautious Itachi. I am sure that you and Kisame can easily subdued the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, but know this, the Kyūbi has defeated two experienced Jinchūriki in Bijū mode without even tapping into his own Bijū's power. If such a target doesn't warrant my attention, what does? After all only a God can defeat a demon!"

"Leader-sama is right to be cautious. The Kyūbi is very dangerous. The Iwa and Kumo bingo books ranks him as beyond High S. The recommendation is flee on sight. One doesn't get such recommendation without due reason. If I am not mistaken, other than him only three other shinobi have been given such accolades in living history."

"Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama and Namikaze Minato, right Kakuzu-sempai?"

"That's right Deidara. Three Konoha ninja. The Kyūbi is the fourth!"

"I am sure that if Leader-sama was known, he would also be ranked as such with the same recommendation!"

"That is irrelevant Sasori no Dana. If Iwa is giving such accolades, we need to be even more cautious. The old man would sooner hand over the hat to me than grace another Konoha scum with such accolades. We should take the Kyūbi even more seriously than the Hachibi!"

"Leader-sama, I think we are over thinking the situation. Let's not forget that he is barely twelve. He may have the power but I can assure you that he doesn't have the experience!"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Itachi's words. "Very well Itachi, but let us wait on Zetsu's report. Then we can draw a better picture of the Kyūbi's abilities!"

* * *

"Daimyō-sama!" A man, attired in Kiri court robes, screamed as he ran into the Daimyō's office. The Daimyō was a rather large man attired in heavy blue robes with off-white trimmings and sitting on an expensive pillow behind the small desk, signing documents.

"What is it Shōta? Why have you come screaming into our office and with our son on your heels?" The Daimyō asked with contempt.

"Daimyō-sama, Uzumaki Naruto-sama comes to Kiri to aid the Kekkai Genkai faction. Please reconsider your stance on the civil war!" Shōta begged as he fell on his knees and bowed in submission.

"So? If Uzumaki-dono decides to help a faction in the civil war, what does it matter to me? There is no law that states that a foreign Daimyō can't interfere in a civil war especially when Daimyō of the country supports neither faction directly!"

"You know as well as I and everyone in your court that the only reason you say you are neutral is your fear of being assassinated! I say that you grow a back bone and do what is right Chichi-ue!" The crown prince exclaimed with an angry expression on his face startling the Daimyō and Shōta.

"Please calm down Shiki-sama! It does no good to lose ones temper!" Shōta said with a frown. He has served the present Daimyō for over fourth years now. He has seen the crown prince grow up into a fine man. A man who was so even tempered that even the winter wind seemed warm in comparison.

Shiki took a deep breath before nodding in gratitude towards Shōta then turned back to his father. "I say that you now support the Bloodline Faction and cut off funding to Yagura! Take the opportunity that Naruto-sama's presence brings and break out of the yoke that Yagura has cast on you."

"Shiki-sama is right Daimyō-sama. If you support the Bloodline Faction now, when they win, and I am sure it's when and not if, they will be more supportive of your resolutions! Besides, Kiri won't be weakened due to Naruto-sama's intervention. I am sure that Mei-san will offer a treaty with Uzushiogakure and Konohagakure. It would strengthen your power base even more! Please consider it!"

The Daimyō hummed for a few moments before nodding. "Very well, we shall agree with your suggestion. Let it be known that from this day forth, Yagura shall no longer get funding from our treasury. Send it to the Bloodline Faction."

"That's a wise decision Chichi-ue. I am sure that your decision will save us from retaliation from the Uzumaki!"

"What do you mean Shiki-kun?"

"Simple Chichi-ue, grand-father did order the breaking of the treaty that got us the seven swords from Uzu. Your action should help us get into Naruto-sama's good graces." Shiki said as the Daimyō paled in realization.

* * *

"Why did you suddenly stop Naruto?" Jiraiya asked only for the blonde to whisper, "I sense a snake!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in realization right before Naruto stomped on the ground causing a balloon of rock to form around them before suddenly it merged with the earth and vanished.

"Where did they go?" Aō asked with surprise only for Sakura to say, "I think that we are close by one of Orochimaru's bases!"

"Then, the went after the Snake Sannin!" Sasuke said with a wide eyes expression when Naruto suddenly melted out of the ground with a sheepish expression.

"You guys head on. We will catch up after skinning the snake!" Naruto said with a grin before phazing out of existence.

"Well you heard the guy! We keep moving!" Tenzo said taking command.

Everyone nodded before Mei asked, "How are they going to find us?"

"Don't worry about it Mei-sama. Naruto makes sure to supply his team with reverse summoning seals. He will activate the alert seal, and one of us summons him to us." Sasuke said with a grunt. Mei nodded in acceptance before getting into place and moving on with the rest of the group.

* * *

"It seems that you don't have much time left Kimimaro-kun. Hopefully, you will be well enough during the assault on Konoha." Orochimaru said with false sad expression.

Kimimaro nodded with a sad smile as he got off the metal examination table. He turned to Orochimaru and bowing, said, "Thank you for taking out some time from your busy schedule to check my health Orochimaru-sama."

"Think nothing of it Kimimaro-kun. It is always a pleasure to help my loyalty subordinates. You should go and rest before helping Jugō with his powers."

Kimimaro bowed in subservience before heading out of the room. As soon as Kimimaro was gone, Orochimaru turned to a darkened corner of the room and said, "You know Jiraiya, it's considered rude to sneak into someone elses home."

A chuckle resounded from the shadows as Jiraiya stepped out into the light. "That may be true, but isn't it common of old comrades to do just that?"

"Kukuku... That's true, but I doubt your here to reminiscent about old times. If you did, you would have brought Tsunade and Sarutobi-sensei with you." Orochimaru said tensing for a fight.

"Your right about that, but then again, the only reason we would have a full reunion is if it comes out that you are undercover and Sarutobi-sensei knows, that's why you don't have the Oinin after you."

"Who knows, but even if I was, I wouldn't be able to tell you! How about we dispatch with the pleasantries and just get on with it?" Orochimaru said with a dark grin right before thrusting his hands forward sending multiple snakes flying at the Gama Sannin.

Without even blinking, Jiraiya threw a small kunai with a paper tag attached to the handle at the snakes. Just as the kunai was flying past the snakes, the tag glowed before a wave of pitch black chakra erupted in the shape of a ball and consumed the snakes.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in interest and said, "Interesting technique, if I didn't know any better, I would say that it was something an Uzumaki would use. How did you come by this seal Jiraiya, I doubt you developed it?"

"Who knows, may be, I have had it all the time and you have never seen me use it!" Jiraiya said with a cocky smile that infuriated the Snake Sannin. Growling, Orochimaru jumped forward and engaged Jiraiya in a taijutsu bout.

As the two Sannin clashed about the room, small shockwaves were running throughout the earthen walls of the base. Shockwaves that shouldn't appear as the walls were enhanced with chakra and stabilized with seals.

"I must say Jiraiya, you have gotten better. Everyone knows that I am the strongest of the Sannin, but it seems that you are catching up to me!"

"You? The strongest? We both know that in raw brute strength, Tsunade has trumped us, but I am the most balanced of us three... Katon: Karyū Endan!"

As the dragon shaped bullet of flames rushed out of Jiraiya mouth, Orochimaru slammed a fist into the ground causing a wall of earth to rise in opposition of the flames. Unlike most walls, this one had an intricate snake motif engraved on it.

While the two Sannin were fighting, their fluctuating chakra drew the attention of Kimimaro and Jugō, drawing the two to the room. With them were the rest of the shinobi present in the base.

"You know Jiraiya, this was very unlike you. Sneaking into my base and confronting me. Sneaking in and gathering information I can see, but why would you put yourself in such a disadvantage? This is quite unlike you!"

Jiraiya laughed at Orochimaru's words as Kimimaro and Jugō entered the room with the rest of Orochimaru's shinobi.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Everyone exclaimed seeing a wave of flames wash over the Snake Sannin's position before the man crumbled into a pile of mud. Jiraiya jumped back as a sword nearly took out his head. Orochimaru had substituted with a Doton: Kage Bunshin and flanked the Gama Sannin.

Forming handseals, Jiraiya bit his finger and placed a hand on the ground causing a plume of smoke to emerge. When the smoke cleared, two old toads we're seen sitting on Jiraiya's shoulders. Without even a single complaint, the two fused with Jiraiya causing the man to develope toad like eyes, thicker nose with warts and yellow irises.

"Ah, the famed Sennin Mode! Pity that I don't have the interest to truly study it. If I did, I could probably perfect my own Sennin Transformation!"

"I doubt it Orochimaru. Men like you don't have the quality to become sages. You have neither the patience nor the disposition to master such a sacred art." A disembodied voice reverberated throughout the room surprising everyone but Jiraiya.

"It seems that you aren't as alone as I first suspected, are you Jiraiya? So, tell me, who did you bring?" Orochimaru asked with curiosity only for his face to pale even further as the wall behind Jiraiya parted. Out of the chasm, Naruto walked out with a regal presence. Quickly shaking his head, Orochimaru asked with a false excited expression, "Ah, Naruto-kun! So nice of you come visit me!"

"Can it Snake. You know as well as I do that I am here to bring you in, at best. Ero-sennin, Ma, Pa. Why don't you three just sit back and enjoy the thrashing of the Densetsu no hebi!"

Jiraiya, Pa and Ma chuckled as Ma said, "Sure thing Naruto-sama, let's see what the old geezer has taught you!"

Orochimaru frowned before grinning in a taunting way and said, "It seems that the legendary toads of Myōbokuzan has fallen quite far. There was a time when you wouldn't treat a Daimyō with respect like that, especially a child!"

"Really child, have you forgotten that the we give respect to those who deserve it and not demand it." Pa said causing Kimimaro to growl and say, "Who are you to disrespect Orochimaru-sama?"

"You are a fool to respect such a dishonourable snake. Don't you know, a snake uses you before discarding you like yesterday's trash?"

Kimimaro growled before making a small gesture causing all the other shinobi accompanying him and Jugō to shout and charge an Naruto, who just sighed and punched forward causing a wave of rocky spikes to emerge from the ground and stab through the legs of the shinobi.

Orochimaru, Kimimaro and Jugō looked surprised as the shinobi fell to the ground, screaming their throats raw. The three watched as Naruto waved his arms causing the earthen floor to flow around and consume the fallen shinobi, not even leaving behind a trace of the thirty some shinobi and kunoichi that had attacked on Kimimaro's orders.

"Interesting jutsu Naruto-kun, I didn't realize that your doton affinity is so high that you have similar control of earth that the Nidaime Hokage had over water?"

Naruto chuckled tauntingly as he said, "It seems that for all of your vaunted intelligence, you are just an idiot. Don't you understand the difference between a ninjutsu and ninshu technique?"

Orochimaru growled right before Kimimaro and Jugō charged at the blonde with the intent to kill. As Jugō charged forward, his arms morphed into axes while Kimimaro's body transformed slightly as he activated the second stage of the Ten no Jūin.

Jiraiya, Ma and Pa frowned as they sensed the corrupt natural energy flowing through the two. Naruto just shook his head in exasperation before he was covered in a cloak of golden chakra. Vanishing from sight, he reappeared in front of Jugō and tapped his forehead with his index finger. At first nothing happened but then Jugō slumped as his transformation faded. A seal formed on his forehead in the shape of a nine tailed fox. The tails forming the Uzumaki Clan swirl.

Orochimaru seethed in realization of what happened while Kimimaro narrowed his eyes and jumped forward with a bone sword only for Naruto to turn and place a hand on his forehead right before he blanked out for a moment. When his focus came back, Kimimaro found that his access to his chakra had vanished and along with it, his access to the Ten no Jūin. In his hand, the bone sword was crumbling out of existence.

"You are truly a coward, just like a pathetic weak snake. I am surprised that the Hakujā Sennin still allows you to summon the snakes. You are only dragging their name through mud."

Orochimaru growled as he bit his tongue to keep from responding. Instead, Orochimaru threw his hands forward releasing multiple large snakes at Naruto while calling out, "Sen'nei Tajashu!"

"You are really desperate, aren't you?" Naruto asked as the golden cloak vanished but his irises took on a golden hue. With glance, the snakes burst into a mass of blood and gore. Their blood having turned against them. With another glance, Orochimaru found himself unable to move.

"What is this? What are you doing gaki?"

"You are the genius! You tell me? But then again, Konoha tends to give out the titles of genius and prodigy too easily. I am controlling you blood with my mind. I doubt that you have the ability to resist it let alone escape." Naruto said with a sad smile.

For the first time in a great while, Orochimaru found himself feeling true fear. Something he hasn't felt since facing off against Hanzo with his former teammates. Closing his eyes, Orochimaru drew upon the natural energy around him, hoping beyond hope that he would succeed. To his joy, he was able to activate his Sennin Transformation. With the raw natural energy flowing through him, Orochimaru was able to squirm his hands together before activating the summoning tattoo on his wrist. A large puff of smoke appeared as the top of the base crumbled away. Jiraiya, with Ma and Pa on his shoulders jumped out of the newly for hole. Naruto followed with Jugō and Kimimaro floating behind him.

"Ssso, Orochimaru, you have the gall to sssummon me after failing my task?" A snake said causing Jiraiya, Ma, Pa and Orochimaru to stiffen in fear. And why shouldn't they. Orochimaru had summoned the Hakujā Sennin. The only being who was nearly as old as Gamamaru. Orochimaru was about to answer but the snake cut him off, "I ssshould kill you for ssstaining the name of the sssnake sssummons but luckily for you, you have sssummoned me in front of my old ssenssei'ss latessst ssstudent. For thisss rare opportunity, I ssshall let you live, but your contract is forfeit."

"Of course Hakujā-sama!" Orochimaru simpered in relief while Kimimaro watched in shock at how the being he literally worships as a god was behaving.

"Come forward Naruto-dono. I must sssay, I have been excited to meet you. It'sss not every day I meet a fellow ssstudent. It iss ssad that the rest of our fellow ssstudents have already passssed on."

"Then that would mean you are little shiro? Sensei spoke fondly of you. Especially the time you decided to challenge Hagoromo-sempai!"

"Yessss that wasssn't my bessst decisssion. Anyway, how about a ssspar. I would like to sssee how far you have come? I can already sssee that you have masstered the art of breathing!"

Naruto nodded as he said, "I would be honored to spar with you Koshiro-sempai, but may I capture the idiot behind you?"

"Sssure go ahead. In fact I will help you!" Koshiro said slamming his tail on the ground causing it to launch Orochimaru into the air and land in between Naruto and himself.

Sweating in fear, Orochimaru looked about only to see Jiraiya, Ma and Pa ready to intercept him. Not that he would try anything to begin with. Not with the Hakujā Sennin and Naruto there.

"Don't even think about it Orochimaru. Don't fight the inevitable." Naruto said, his eyes returned back to blue.

"Alright, I give up! I will come quietly!" Orochimaru said raising his hands up. Naruto nodded and approached the traitor when Orochimaru suddenly smirked and clapped his hands together.

"Damnit! The teme had a remote activated reverse summoning array ready!" Naruto cursed as Koshiro narrowed his eyes in annoyance with the former snake summoner.

"It'sss a pity that Orochimaru hasss no honour. I ssstill don't know why I told Manda to approach him."

* * *

"Are you sure we should hand the gaki over? The gaki's powers are highly valuable to us. We should have breeded some out of the bitch!" An old man said to the disgust of the kunoichi present in the room.

The man sitting behind the large desk frowned, "We have been over this already. We aren't some barbarians like the Sandaime Raikage and his council were. We will not frce the clan restoration act on someone unwilling."

"You are all cowards. We are shinobi, we shouldn't have morals. We kill for a living and that too indiscriminately. What a bit of forced breeding to save an nearly extinct clan?"

"It is lucky we didn't. Didn't you hear what happened to those idiots over at Taki?" The eldest kunoichi said getting a growl from the old man.

"Besides, I think it's a good idea. It would garner the favor of the young but powerful Daimyō!" Another man said with a grin.

"But..." The old man started only for the leader to interrupt, "That's enough out of you. The only reason I asked you to be here is for your experience. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been even informed. I have already decided to hand the girl over. I hope that our preemptive strike would make the girl's clan more agreeable to ally with us. Sachikō, I want you to be the one to lead the girl to Konoha and then try and get an appointment with the girl's clan head. I am sure that your extensive negotiation skills will tip the favor towards us!"

"As you wish Morihikō-sama!" Sachikō said with a bow.

"Then dismissed!"

* * *

Sakura, Gai, Kakashi and Mei suddenly stopped when they felt the powerful chakra aura press upon them. Sakura easily shrugged of the presence while Mei, Kakashi and Gai had to try a little harder.

"What was that?" Mei asked in shock. Not even Yagura in full Bijū mode gave off such a terrifingly overwhelming presence.

"What the hell is he fighting that requires fifty percent of his full power?" Sakura commented drawing incredulous stares from the three Kiri ninja.

Mei turned to Aō and and asked with a shaky tone, "What do you see?"

"No need to ask, I can easily tell you what's happening!" A cheerful voice said causing all the vetran shinobi to throw a kunai at the intruder.

A wall of earth rose to intercept the kunai before lowering to reveal Naruto standing there with Jiraiya, Ma and Pa. Behind them, Kimimaro and Jugō were floating in mid air with restraining seals glowing on their exposed skin.

An eyebrow twitched on Sakura's brow as she asked with a sweet tone, "Tell me Naruto-kun, you don't happen to be thrashing Orochimaru alone, would you?"

Sasuke quickly moved away from his irate teammate and hid behind Kakashi, who himself looked like he would prefer to be somewhere else. Jiraiya was the one who spoke, "Not really, the coward escaped using a remote activated reverse summoning seal, but not before summoning the Hakujā Sennin!"

"Hakujā-sama was a student of Gamamaru-sama just like Naruto-sama is. Being fellow students in the sage arts, they decided to have a spar. I am surprised that we haven't seen anything truly spectacular yet!" Pa said only for a massive pillar of fire to form in the distance.

"Why do you tempt fate you old baka?" Ma shouted slamming a rolling pin on Pa's head.

"Is that a giant white snake?" Chojuro asked with awe only to gasp as the snake breathed out a wave of scorching hot flames that were countered but a immensly thick wall of water that appeared out of nowhere.

"Where did that water come from?" Aō asked in confusion only for a massive earthen construct to form in front of the snake. The humanoid construct raised a fist and punched forward only for the snake to wrap itself around the arm and squeeze. A soft green-blue glow surrounding the snake.

The earthen constructs arm crumbled to dust before reforming as the snake slithered back. Rearing up, the white snake extended his hood as a bright poisonous green glow gathered in his throat. The earthen construct connected it's wrists together. Between the cupped palms, a violet ball of churning chakra formed.

"Wow! The boss isn't holding back. I am sure that we haven't mastered that senjutsu technique yet!" The Naruto present said causing Team 7 to groan.

"Oi Kakashi, how much are you willing to bet that the new technique will blow up in his face, again?" Sasuke said as Kakashi shook his head and replied, "No bets! This is Naruto we are taking about. He has a habit of mastering complex techniques on the fly!"

Aō and Chojuro looked startled at the revelation while Mei just chuckled. When everyone looked at her with questioning glances, she just said, "It is a gift of the Uzumaki. I heard about it from my grandfather. He was an Uzumaki!"

Everyone nodded before turning back to the fight. Both the snake and the construct released their techniques at the same time. A beam of poisonous green energy flowed out of the snake mouth as a similar beam of dark violet energy erupted from the constructs outstretched hands.

The two beams colliding with each other caused massive earthquakes where the group was. The place where the two beams met, a massive ball of unstable black energy formed. From the black ball, shockwaves were emanating, threatening to blow away the entire area. The Kiri ninja feared that a particularly strong shockwave would easily rip them all to shreads.

"What the hell is happening to the trees?" Tenten cried out in shock drawing everyone's attention to the forest near the battle. Small motes of black energy we're flying off the massive ball and anything the motes touched we're rotted within seconds before evaporating into pale motes of green energy.

Everyone shivered in fear as the Naruto present with them said, "I wonder who will win? The mixed energy motes of destruction and poison are going to cause serious harm to the immediate area."

"What do you mean Naruto?" Sakura asked with concern.

"The boss is applying his knowledge on onmyōton to transform the nature chakra into pure destruction. It's not really destruction but a type of chakra that forcefully transforms matter and energy into unadulterated natural energy. It's purest form. The trees are dissipating into natural energy. That the pale green motes. Koshiro-sempai is using the same knowledge to transform the nature chakra into a corrosive energy. If the large black ball implodes, I really don't want to know what will happen."

A gasp emanated from Tenten and Mei as the beams petered out right before the black ball expanded before imploding. Everyone waited for the inevitable explosion, but when it didn't come, they stared intently at the reduced ball and saw Naruto glowing yellow and the Hakujā Sennin glowing green-blue, working together to unravel the unstable ball.

They watched in awe as the ball separated into two distinct coloured orbs which were then dissipated into pale green motes of energy. After the ball was taken care off, the snake bowed and seemed to touch Naruto for a moment before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"I think the spar is finally over!"

"No kidding genius!" Sakura commented causing Neji, who had spoken, to blush in embarrassment.

"You know, I was expecting a more spectacular end!" Sasuke drawled out as the clone just chuckled and dissipated into the air. As the clone vanished, everyone became aware of the dissipating barrier that surrounded them.

"If there was a barrier protecting us, how did we feel the shockwaves? The earthquakes I can understand, but the airborne shockwaves?" Yugaō asked only for Naruto to appear, floating in the sky.

"Simple Neko! The barrier was designed to deaden the destructive properties of the shockwaves. It's a simple barrier that's used to trick fūton users. Simple to construct, easy to maintain, even a genin would be able to keep it active for hours."

"Wow! I haven't heard of such a barrier before. Where did you come by it Naruto-sama?" Tenzō asked with interest.

Naruto chuckled and said, "Easy, I created it. There was already a barrier seal that prevents any wind technique to pass through. I modified it with ninshu knowledge to do this. It's an easy seal. If you want, I can teach it to you!"

"That would be useful Naruto-sama."

Naruto nodded before saying, "Form up. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Sakura, keep an eye on the pale boy floating besides Ero-Sennin. He seems to have a weak constitution."

Everyone nodded as they formed up in the formation Naruto specified when they left Konoha, with the two prisoners in between Jiraiya and Mei. Ma and Pa bowed to Naruto before returning back to the summons realm. After everyone was situated, Naruto gave the order.

* * *

It had been nearly an hour since Naruto and the Hakujā Sennin had their world shaking spar. The group had been silent for the whole duration, running at low jōnin speeds towards the rebel encampment.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped and called a halt to the group's movement. Closing his eyes, a pale green aura erupted from the blonde jinchūriki's body. After a couple of moments, the aura receded as Naruto opened his eyes.

Turning, Naruto saw everyone looking at him with questioning looks. Everyone was startled when Naruto's usual laid back expression turned severe. "The camp is about fifty miles from here, right?"

Mei nodded with a confused look. Naruto sighed, "Then I am sure that when we reach there, we will only find smoldering remains. Yagura's forces are attacking. Luckily, I didn't sense Yagura there."

The Kiri ninja looked disheartened at the revelation. There was no way they would make it there in time to be of help, at least with energy to fight after arriving. The Konoha ninja looked down in disappointment. The Genin, for failing in such an important mission and the Jōnin for remembering the carnage such a sight would reveal.

"Lucky for you, I can get you there in a moment!" Naruto said as he took out three kunai, kunai with three prongs, and threw them in a triangle formation. A translucent barrier formed around the group.

"I didn't know that the Hiraishin could be used like this!" Jiraiya asked with Tenzō looking curious as well.

Naruto chuckled, "This isn't the Hiraishin. It's something used and developed by my clan. Now, before we leave, I have some orders!"

"Sakura, there are many injured shinobi. I want you to focus in healing them. Lee, Sasuke and Chojuro, you three make sure that she isn't blindsided. Sakura use the healing barriers!"

The four nodded and moved a bit to the back edge of the barrier. Naruto turned to the Root team and said, "You four will try and infiltrate Yagura's forces. Objective, sabotage and intel." The Root team nodded but before the leader could order the group to move to the edge, Naruto threw a sealing tag to him. "Touch the seal to your forehead and channel chakra. It will transmit your mind to a receiver seal where you can give your report. Report to me thrice a day; dawn, noon and dusk! First report an hour after Yagura's forces retreat!"

"Aō, Kakashi, Gai, Tenzō, Yugaō, Sai, Tenten and Neji, extraction detail. Bring the injured to the area Sakura and her team will establish. After the injured are extracted, make sure that the healing area isn't over run." The group nodded and moved to the side leaving behind Jiraiya and Mei.

"Mei, I need you to rally your troops. Ero-Sennin, you go with her. Make sure that she isn't assassinated!" Everyone looked startled at the order but Jiraiya just nodded. A determined glint glowing in his eyes. Naruto nodded in satisfaction and was about to activate the teleportation function when Jiraiya asked, "Then you plan to take Yagura's forces on yourself, right? Just like Minato. He didn't know the meaning of out numbered as well."

Everyone chuckled while some of the shinobi had apprehensive expressions on their faces. Before they could realize what happened, they found themselves in a different place. Each team away from the others.

* * *

Sakura was disoriented for a moment before regaining her composure. Activating the seal on her forehead, Sakura quickly made some hand seals and slammed her hands on the ground. A massive sealing formula formed underneath her before a translucent silver barrier formed. The barrier covered an area large enough for several hundred people to easily gather underneath it.

Nodding in satisfaction, Sakura turned to the three boys and said, "I need to concentrate. Don't let anyone distract me. One mistake can cause the death of my patients. Chojuro-san, have your people come here for healing."

Chojuro nodded before calling out, "Everyone! Listen to me. These are some of the reinforcements Mei-sama went to Konoha to acquire. Sakura-san is one of the best Iryōnin Konoha has to offer, so Iryōnin, cooperate with her."

Everyone under the barrier nodded as the heavily injured shinobi were moved closer to Sakura. Everyone was shocked when Sakura shook her head and commanded strings of water to form out of the air and connect her with the injured.

The strings started glowing blue as a similar blue glow encompassed the patients. The Kiri Iryōnin watched in shock as the injuries started healing at an accelerated rate.

Seeing the Kiri Iryōnin standing around gaping, Sakura growled out, "Why the hell are you all gaping like fools. The barrier enhances Iryō jutsu used underneath it. Use it to your advantage! Heal the ones I am not working on! There is a limit to how many I can heal at a given instance! Try and send the critically injured shinobi to me!"

Blushing in embarrassment, the Iryōnin started rushing about doing as ordered. As they rushed about, Chojuro, Sasuke and Lee gathered the combat fit shinobi and organized them into a defensive formation at the edge of the barrier.

* * *

"Damn gaki! Did he have to teleportation us without warning!" Jiraiya grumbled as he regained his composure. Beside him, Mei took a bit longer before straightening up. Looking around, Mei saw that they were alone.

"Where are the others?"

"I think Naruto teleported each team to a place where they would be most helpful. We should get going. Which direction is the command center?"

Mei just nodded and rushed off due north of their position. After a couple of minutes, the two S-Ranked shinobi reached a large tent where multiple shinobi and kunoichi were rushing about with a couple of experienced looking Jōnin giving orders.

"What's the situation?" Mei asked causing everyone to jump before relaxing at her presence.

"Mei-sama! The situation is dim. They attacked right at the time we change guards. We have a traitor amongst us. Half the forces are critically injured, of which ten percent are expected to perish within the hour. The rest of us are fighting back as well as we can, but we need to retreat. Unfortunately, a second battilion is covering all the retreat points. What do we do Mei-sama?"

"Calm down Takeshi. Reinforcements are already here. We have Jiraiya of the Sannin right here."

"Jiraiya-sama! Please help us!" A kunoichi begged.

"My job is to make sure that Mei-san survives. Naruto is already taking care of the enemy forces." Jiraiya said with a grin.

As everyone but Mei gaped at Jiraiya's confidence, a kunoichi wearing the mark of the medical corps rushed in. "Takeshi-taicho, Mei-sama is back with reinforcements from Konoha!"

"We can see that Aoisaki. Why did you leave your post at the medical station?"

"What can we do? Haruno Sakura is single handedly healing hundreds at the same time using some kind of suiton ninjutsu! We haven't seen anything like this before!"

"Tsunade could do something similar with Katsuyu's help. Is Sakura using any summon?" Jiraiya asked causing the woman to stare at him in shock.

The woman gaped for a few moments before stuttering out, "Not any we could see, but she did summon a barrier!"

"Ah, I see. An Uzumaki healing barrier combined with healing ninshu using water. A true prodigy in the arts of healing. Tsunade would kill to have her as an apprentice!"

"Takeshi, send out this order! Have all able bodied shinobi and kunoichi of A-Rank are to mobilize and help Naruto-sama with the offensive!"

"I don't think that will be necessary." Jiraiya said with a chuckle as everyone stared at him with incredulity.

Mei was about to comment when a young shinobi rushed into the tent screaming, "Yagura's forces have been defeated in the southern corridor! A blonde kid wearing a hitai-ate with the kanji for Bijū and Sennin carved on it has taken them down with his very presence! Don't know what he did, but all of the enemy forces are unconscious and restrained by the very earth itself!"

"Takeshi-taicho! All of Yagura's forces on the northern and north-eastern front have been neutralized! Uzumaki Naruto-sama appeared and took them out using the very sky itself! All enemies are restrained by stone shackles grown from the earth."

"How is he in multiple places at once?" Takeshi asked only for Mei to say, "Clones!"

"That's right. He is a master of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Jiraiya said with pride.

"Then we won't need to send him aid, do we?"

"I am afraid not. Likely, we would only be in his way." Jiraiya said with a crown.

"All done! The enemy has been neutralized. I took care not to kill anyone but those who were giving off malicious intent towards you. I decided to send Yagura's commander back to Yagura with a challenge. Hopefully, the war will end by the next week!"

All the Kiri ninja bowed in gratitude and greeting when Naruto said, "No need to bow. I hate injustice, so if I didn't help, I would have become what I hate!"

"Mei-sama, a messanger from the Daimyō!" A shinobi said leading in a youthful looking man.

"Shiki-sama! You honor us with your presence!" Mei said with a bow.

Shiki nodded in greeting before turning to Naruto and bowed, "Welcome to Mizu no Kuni, Naruto-sama. I just wish that it was during better circumstances!"

"No need to bow Shiki-san, I am not much into formalities outside formal events. Beside, as I said to Mei, I would become the very thing I hate. Someone with power who encourages injustice. People in our position should help the unfortunate."

Shiki blushed at the not so subtle jab at his father's indiscretions during the civil war. "I agree with you there Naruto-sama. Now if you will excuse me, Mei-san, here is the official decree of my honourable father, the Daimyō. It says that as of now, all government funding towards shinobi affairs are being directed to you and those under your command. Yagura has been cut off. It took my father some time to realize it, but Yagura has only weakened Kiri and Mizu as a whole. Please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of my honourable father."

Mei looked startled as she received the official decree with a bow. Coughing to regain her composure, Mei said, "I humbly accept your apology on behalf of your honourable father, Shiki-sama!"

"Shiki-san, tell your father that I will come visit after taking care of Yagura. Now I would advise against taking harsh steps against any captured shinobi from Yagura's faction. I can sense many only following Yagura out of loyalty to Kiri and Mizu. Since your father took this long to refuse aid to Yagura, they believed they were in the right, only following their Daimyō. I am sure that all of them will support Mei and her forces when the decree becomes known!"

"I see Naruto-sama," Shiki said with a chagrined expression. "I will make sure that my father doesn't treat them too harshly!"

"Mei-sama! It's a miracle! Haruno Sakura has healed even those on their death beds!" A Kiri Iryōnin exclaimed with excitement as he rushed into the tent.

"You know, dropping your guard like that right after victory is declared can cause your death." Sakura said as she walked into the tent with Sasuke, Lee and Chojuro. "The barrier still need a bit of work Naruto. It falters a bit every time someone passes it's boundaries."

"I will see to it later then." Naruto said before puffing out of existence.

"Where did Naruto-sama go?" Shiki asked with confusion.

Sakura and Sasuke chuckled as Sasuke said, "The question isn't where he went, not it's where he is. He wasn't really here. It was only a clone."

"Kakashi and his team are nearly done. Now to catch myself a traitor." Naruto said confusing everyone.

"But how will you know who the traitor is, let alone there is a traitor. We only know because of the timing of the attack and how Yagura's forces covered every retreat point that there is a traitor amongst us!"

"Simple. I can sense the malicious intent directed towards Mei!" Naruto said causing everyone's eyes to widen in realization. Seeing that his only chance was about to be gone, Takeshi jumped forward with a kunai in his hand, intent on killing Mei.

As everyone shouted out in shock at the sudden action, Takeshi found himself dangling in mid air, his breathing becoming harded with every breath. "If you had given up, I am sure you would have lived. Now..." Naruto left the man's fate hanging as he clenched his fist.

Everyone watched with facination as the traitor's eyes bulged before blood started leaking out from the tear ducts. At the same time, the nose and ears also bled while the throat was crushed into oblivion. A strangled choaking sound filled the tent as blood pooled in the man's lungs. As the man finished twitching, Naruto let his fist relax causing the corpse to fall on the ground.

"That's not a nice way to die!" A young girl said drawing the attention of everyone to the entrance of the door to see Tenten standing there with the rest of the extraction group. Neji was pale as he realized that it could have been him that one time.

Sakura had approached the corpse and quickly checked for a pulse. Finding none, she used her credentials as a Iryōnin to declare the man dead.

* * *

"Oi! Another jar of sake! Bring your best one!" A blonde haired woman shouted out with slightly jerky movements.

"I think you have had enough sake, Tsunade-sama!" A black haired woman carrying a pig said with disapproving frown.

"Oh don't be like that Shizune. Just one more jar. After that we head off towards the capital!"

"The new Daimyō of Uzu really is a great guy! I still can't believe he was able to single handedly defeat a whole battilion of Iwa shinobi!"

"Yeah! Then don't forget, he freed Nami without any help from his Team!"

"I still can't believe that the Daimyō is barely thirteen!"

Tsunade growled in anger as she stood up and approached the trio of merchants. "Where the hell did you hear such absurd stories! There are no more Uzumaki left! I should know, my grandmother was a Uzumaki!"

"Who the hell are you lady?"

"And where were you living, under a rock!"

"Guys, I think she's Tsunade of the Sannin!"

"What? Then how can she not know about Naruto-sama! He's the face of Konoha! The son of the Yondaime Hokage!"

"What did you say gaki? Minato and Kushina's son died on that accursed night with his parents!" Tsunade screamed ramming her fist through the table.

Shizune was trying to pull Tsunade away when a small puff of smoke appeared on Tsunade's shoulder. When the smoke cleared, a small white slug was seen. "That's enough Tsunade! Do you wish for me to revoke our agreement as the Hakujā Sennin has done to Orochimaru?"

"Huh... What do you mean Katsuyu?" Tsunade asked placing a glowing palm on her forehead. After a few moments, she removed the hand, completely sober.

"Orochimaru accidentally summoned the Hakujā Sennin to fight against Naruto-sama. Both of them were or at present are the students of Gamamaru-sama. Hakujā-sama took the chance to revoke the summoning contract."

"I see, but when did Gamamaru-sama start taking students again? I was sure Jiraiya and the two toad sages complained about him being senile!"

"That's what everyone thought until he came out of his trance like state. For nearly six hundred years, he has been completely emersed in nature and it's energy. The sage arts we know off are barely the surface of a deep ocean." Katsuyu said gravely as Tsunade and Shizune looked startled at the information.

"I see, and who's Naruto? And why are you giving him such respect?"

"Because he deserves it. How many people can say they developed sage mode without help? How many have mastered the power of their Bijū, particularly the Kyūbi? That too before his thirteenth year!"

"Alright, I see why you respect him so much. And since you said he has mastered the Kyūbi's chakra, can I assume that Sensei lied to me about Kushina's son's survival!"

"Yes he did. I don't know the reason for Sarutobi's decision, you have to ask him yourself, but I will tell you one thing. All of such summons believe that Uzumaki Naruto-sama is the Yogen no Kids!"

"Shizune! We are going to Konoha! Pack everything up and meet me at the southern road. I will take care of the payment here!"

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed and rushed out of the shop just as a Konoha Anbu wearing a boar mask appeared.

"Senju Tsunade! A joint missive from the Uzu and Fire Daimyō!" The woman said handing over a sealed scroll with the personal seals of the afformentioned Daimyō.

"Do you know who the present Uzu Daimyō is?" Tsunade asked as she took the scroll.

Boar chuckled and said, "Who doesn't? Yondaime-sama son is someone truly amazing. I am sure this will clear up some things!" Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she took the Bingo book from Boar and looked down at the marked page.

"How the hell did the kid get a flee on sight order from three countries?"

"I am not really surprised. He can easily take down Konoha's best alone without even tapping into the Kyūbi's chakra. From what Sarutobi Asuma said, Naruto-sama took down both Han and Roshi in Bijū mode without even trying all the while suppressing a contingent of Iwa's best. If that doesn't merit a flee on sight order, I don't know what does. Especially since he is strong enough to do that with causing lasting injuries to his opponents. I doubt even his father would be able to defeat him!"

Tsunade nodded as she broke the seals and quickly read through the missive. Chuckling, Tsunade said, "It seems to be your lucky day Boar. You don't need to futily attempt to convince me to return back to Konoha."

"That is a relief. I was afraid I would have to order my team to try and subdue you!"

"You should know that you still have some blood relations left. Naruto-sama brought back many living Uzumaki. The eldest of whom seems to be an old friend of your honourable grandmother!"

Tsunade nodded with suppressed tears as she said, "Get your team ready. We leave in an hour. I am looking forward to meet the brat!"

"I am sorry to say that Naruto-sama is in Kiri at the moment, helping the Kiri rebels! You will have to wait until he returns!" Boar said with apprehension. She could feel the killing intent Tsunade was releasing at that small tidbits of information. She just hoped her team survives.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Chichi-ue = Lord Father_**

 ** _Hakujā Sennin = White Snake Sage_**

 ** _Densetsu no hebi = The Legendary Snake_**

 ** _Yogen no Ko = Child of Prophecy_**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Sen'nei Tajashu = Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	17. Chapter 16 - Surprises

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 _"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 1** **6** **–** **Surprises**

Sarutobi sat down in his raised seat with Hideyoshi opposite him. The Konoha Shinobi council was already present with some reports lying in front of them. The elder council was sitting on the tire right below the Hokage. Sarutobi and Hideyoshi shared a small smirk before Sarutobi spoke, "As you all know, Naruto has led a team of Konoha and Uzu's best and brightest shinobi into Kiri to help the rebels. It took them three days to reach the rebel base. Upon arrival, they found the base and it's personnel under siege of Yagura's forces. Yagura had sent two of his three remaining active battalions."

"I doubt that they had much trouble. After all, Jiraiya and Naruto-sama was there. They themselves can easily turn the tides of any battle!" Homura said with a nonchalant expression.

Hideyoshi and Sarutobi suppressed a grin. "Not really, only Naruto needed to interfere. Jiraiya was saddled with protection detail of the rebel leader."

"Then I can assume that Naruto-sama had suspected foul play. Am I right Hiruzen?"

Everyone narrowed their eyes at the old war hawk. There was no information about a traitor in the reports, so where did Danzō get such an idea?

"Naruto didn't say anything like that in his report, but I am sure that such a thing can happen. After all we have seen war, haven't we Naruto-kun?" Hideyoshi said with a chuckle as a muffled laugh rang through out the room.

Everyone but Hiruzen and Hideyoshi tensed for a moment before realizing that it was only Naruto. Danzō, on the other hand, felt a spine chilling shiver run up his back. He could sense the the presence focused on him. A whisper sounded in Danzō's ear causing the man to nearly jump out of his seat.

"You made a grave mistake old man! Did you think I won't find out?"

With a cold sweat breaking out on his skin, Danzō stuttered out, "I don't know what you mean Naruto-sama!"

"I'm sure that you will when I elaborate!" Naruto said with a mischievous grin. Danzō narrowed his eyes in a frown that quickly changed into horror as Naruto began speaking. "My fellow council members, Hokage and Fire Daimyō, I have here a scroll written by the team leader of the Root Team I requested Danzō to send with me to Kiri. Just today, I liberated it from the leader and interrogated him thinking that he was a traitor."

Danzō suppressed a shiver. He hoped that Naruto was unable to break his cursed seal, else he was a dead man walking! "What I found was quite disgraceful. The man was completely brainwashed and then a cursed seal was placed on his tongue. The seals presence prevented the man from speaking. Yes Inoichi?"

"I am sorry to interrupt, but did you find out how he was brainwashed and by whom?"

Naruto frowned before saying, "Through systematic physical and emotional torture followed by mental reprogramming sessions. It was done to both make the man a sociopath and completely loyal to the brainwasher."

"Do you have any idea who that is?" Inoichi asked with a frown, before eying Danzō and saying, "If not, I would love to mind-walk the man!"

"I have completed knowledge of who the person is. It is quite disgraceful that someone of such high esteem would do such a thing to unfortunate kidnapped orphans and forced volunteers from even Konoha's clans!"

Danzō looked startled as everyone looked outraged at the information. Hideyoshi stood up and declared with anger painting his face red, "Who dares enact such disgraceful actions upon our subjects and unfortunate orphans? Tell us Naruto-dono, so that we may enact justice!"

"Why tell you Hideyoshi-dono? When I can show you!" Naruto said as he unsealed a large round wooden table with intricate sealing arrays carved into the expensive white wood. Then he took out a slat from the side of the table and inserted a sealing tag into the slot in the slat before reslotting it into the table.

"This is a device used by the Uzu council to review mission reports by having the mission recorded into small memory copying seals. The complex array atop the table works like a projector and displays the memory in a floating orb of chakra."

"Facinating..." Hiruzen said with curiosity while Danzō was wondering if he should make a break for it or not with a horrified expression.

Just as the memory was starting to project, the doors to the room crashed open with the two Anbu guards flying into the room and knocking over the table. Everyone turned to the door to see the silhouette of a woman with pig tails with another woman beside her.

While everyone else was distracted, Danzō tried to escape only for a cage of six glowing bars of light to form around him. The seals seemed to be carved directly into the bars of light with shadows.

"Tut... Tut... Tut... That's not nice Danzō. You really shouldn't try and escape justice!" Naruto said drawing everyone's attention.

"Huh... Danzō's being arrested?" The woman at the door asked with a confused tone causing Hideyoshi to chuckle and say, "Arrest! We think not! We are sure that Danzō is to be executed. After all he just proved that he is a traitor to Konoha's best interest and a foul excuse of a man. Truly, who would put a child through emotional and mental conditioning."

"Good to see you back Tsunade. Just take the Senju seat and enjoy the show!" Hiruzen said with a chuckle causing gasps of realization to escape the other shinobi councillors.

"You know, we have been here during your Granduncle's reign as Hokage, but we don't remember any other Senju kicking down the Council Chamber Doors. Is this a new fashion, Tsunade?" Tsunade blushed in embarrassment as she turned to Hideyoshi and bowed, "Please forgive my insolence Hideyoshi-sama, but I was too angry for proper manners!"

"And why were you so angry? Tell us so that we may be satisfied!" Hideyoshi ordered as the two Anbu guards stood up and quietly fixed the table before moving out of the room and resealing it.

"Until recently, I was under the impression that my godson, Naruto, was killed on the night of his birth. It was Sensei who sent the message!" Tsunade said with a glare at Hiruzen. "Why did you lie to me Sensei? Did you think me incapable of raising a child? Or did you think he would be better protected?"

"That was not the message Hiruzen sent to you. I was there with Homura and Danzō when Hiruzen told us his intentions of having you raise Naruto-sama away from Konoha until he was of the age to enter the academy!" Koharu said causing everyone to glare at Danzō.

"Wow! Another black mark. I don't know how people still respect you Danzō, but you have lost what little I had for you! Not that it was much to begin with!" Naruto said with a grin.

"There is no need for a trial Naruto-dono. You may executed the traitor!" Hideyoshi said with authority sealing Danzō's doom.

"Hand over Root to me Danzō and your death will be painless. Resist, and I get to see what happens when corrupt nature chakra is injected into a normal human!" Naruto did with a cold smile causing Danzō to shudder before ordering, "As of this moment, I hand over command of Root to Uzumaki Naruto-sama and step down as commander of the division. Fū, Torune, spread the word!"

"Before spreading the word, I would like it if you two would handle the transformation of Root into a police force that Konoha is sorely lacking. You have until the Chunnin Exams! Report to me when I return from Kiri, until then you report to the Anbu Commander! Dismissed!" Naruto commanded with authority as two disembodied voices replied, "As you wish Naruto-sama!"

"Now Danzō, it's your lucky day. I was wanting to test out this new offensive seal! Good bye, Fūinjutsu: Koku Gyakumodori!"

The seals on the six glowing bars of light suddenly flashed a darker black before expanding in a dome around the caged Danzō, who just closed his eyes and waited. Before he realized, darkness encroached his mind as his soul and body were separated.

As Danzō 's body slumped in their binds, the six bars of light broke up into small motes of light. As soon as the bindings vanished, Danzō's body began to crumbled into ash. As the body completely dissipated, Naruto said, "Too bad for him, the seal is much like the Shiki Fūjin. It is powered by a small fraction of Shinigami-sama's power. Those techniques he tried to use with those embedded sharingan are useless. None can escape the clutches of Death."

"What do you mean Naruto-sama? When did Elder Danzō gain the Sharingan?" Shikaku asked with a frown.

"And shouldn't you be dead for drawing on Shinigami-sama's power?" Tsume asked with confusion.

"Danzō had multiple Sharingan implants on his bandaged arm and a Mangekyō Sharingan under his facial bandages. He must have harvested the after the Uchiha Massacre." Everyone gasped in horror as Naruto continued, "I think that there may be more to the Massacre than we know. I doubt that Itachi took down his whole clan alone. It's just not feasible. Hell even I with all my power would have had a hard time doing that without alerting the whole of Konoha!"

Everyone looked startled at the news as expressions of horrer slowly crept into there faces. Only Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura and Hideyoshi's faces didn't carry the looks. Their faces had paled instead as a horrific realization creapt upon them.

"From the looks on your faces, I can see that all of you realize what I have. I will check the files of Root to find out how much had been Danzō's puppetry. As for how I am alive, the seal doesn't summon Shinigami-sama, only a fraction of his power. The cost for using the seal is a single day of the users collective life span for each soul this seal is used on. It is an Uzumaki Kinjutsu I have recently developed to handle that Jutsu I read about in the Scroll of Seals. The one that summons dead shinobi from the pure realm."

Hiruzen let out a shocked gasp and said, "You developed a Kinjutsu to counter Tobirama-sensei's Kinjutsu summoning?"

Naruto nodded before Tsunade said, "That's all good and well, but can I ask what are you doing here? Last I heard, you were in Kiri helping the Rebellion!"

"Oh right! We got completely sidetracked with the plan to force Danzō reveal his treachery!" Naruto said only for Shibi to ask, "Do you mean to say that you had planned to capture Danzō from the start?"

"And why did you take Root under your control? Why not have command be placed under Sensei?" Tsunade asked with confusion.

Naruto, Hiruzen and Hideyoshi shared looks before Hiruzen sighed and said, "Hideyoshi-sama, Naruto-kun and I had been planning for such an eventuality for some time now. In fact, Naruto asked for a Root team from Danzō for this very reason. As for why Naruto-kun took command of Root, to tell you the truth Tsunade. I am an old man now. I am becoming overwhelmed by the amount of work I am having to do. So, as of the finals of the Chunnin Exams, I shall officially step down and hand over the hat to Naruto-kun. Unofficially, Naruto-kun will become the Hokage as soon as he returns!"

Everyone looked dumbfounded at the revelation. Everyone but Tsunade expected Naruto to take the hat in the future but not this soon. Tsunade asked, "Isn't he a bit too young to be placed with such a heavy burden?"

Hideyoshi and Hiruzen chuckled at the Slug Princess's question before Hideyoshi said, "From past actions as Daimyō, and how he handled the situation at Nami no Kuni, I can confidently say that if there was someone truly deserving the role of a leader, it is Naruto-dono. After all how many can say that at the tender age of twelve, they have done as much for his people and innocents as Naruto-dono has?"

"Does anyone have any objections with my choice of successor?" Hiruzen questioned only getting negative head shaking from the shinobi council and the elders. Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction before saying, "Keep this between us until I make the official announcement."

"Anyway, let us return to the reason for the meeting. Naruto-dono, if you will..."

Naruto nodded to Hideyoshi and said, "As you all know, the rebels had a mole amongst them. A mole in quite a high place as well. The mole has been now neutralized. Three fourths of Yagura's forces are neutralized and I have sent a challenge to Yagura to either face me or surrender. He has one week left to comply. Haruno Sakura has done an excellent job as an Iryōnin. Thanks to her efforts, the initial casualty count had dopped from seventy percent to three."

"That's impossible! No one can do that without healing multiple patients at the same time!" Tsunade exclaimed, "Only I can do it, that too only with Katsuyu's help. Even then, to get these numbers, I would have fallen into a coma from the strain I would put on my chakra network. Last time I checked, I was the only Slug Summoner in all the Nations!"

"Care to put your purse where you mouth is bā-chan? I am sure that Sakura-chan has surpassed you!" Naruto said with a taunting grin. Everyone in the council chambers suppressed a groan. Everyone knows that challenging Naruto was like playing with fire in a paper filled with soaked in oil. You will get burned no matter how much you play it safe.

Tsume particularly knew this well as because of Kiba's idiocy, The Inuzuka Clan owed the Uzumaki a blank favor. She really wished that Kiba didn't try to out do Naruto and try to sneak into Anbu Head Quarters only to be caught and had to be saved by Naruto!

"Really gaki! Then what will you owe me when I win? I will place my grandfather's necklace on the line!"

"How about your great-grandfather's personal armor!"

The shinobi from Hiruzen's generation were startled at the ante. Hiruzen shakily asked, "Hoshinki-sama's armor! The armor that is said to be self-adjusting, self-reparing and granted the user perfect chakra control? The armor that was said to be lost! The armor which will fetch enough to buy all five great Nations at the same time and still leave a sizeable nest egg!"

"That's right!"

"Your on! Don't come crying to me when you have to part with such an expensive artefact!"

"Very will. When we return from Kiri, you and Sakura-chan can have a no holds barred spar. I hope that you will not crying when you lose!"

"It's not I who will cry gaki, it will be you!"

Naruto nodded with a small grin before continuing his report, "Anyways, due to her outstanding performance on the field, I recommend that Haruno Sakura be promoted at least to Chunnin."

Hiruzen nodded before saying, "I will take your recommendation into account when I review her actions. From the letters Jiraiya and Mei-san has sent me, they recommended that Haruno be promoted to Tokubetsu Jōnin, specializing as Combat Iryōnin. I will take their recommendation under consideration as well. Please continue with your report."

Naruto nodded, "The Root team has done well in their mission of sabotaging Yagura's supply lines and armoury. They have done a top-notch job in infiltrating and gathering intel."

Everyone nodded in satisfaction as Naruto continued, "Team 9 under Elite Jōnin Mighto Gai are doing a splendid job as a team specializing in finding and extraction of injured from the battlefield. I recommend that they be allowed to participate in the up coming Chunnin Exams. I am sure Gai will agree with my assessment that they are ready for the challenge."

"Splendid! I was hoping they will be recommended for the exams." Hiruzen said with mirth.

"Anbu Tora and Neko, I recommend that they be awarded the spirit of the forest medal. Three days ago, a squad of twelve elite Jōnin of Kiri ambushed the supply wagon sent by the Mizu Daimyō and killed the four rebel guards. Tora and Neko survived by the quick thinking of Tora and afterwards they took out eight of the Jōnin, captured two and severely injured the two who retreated. Thanks to their actions, the supplies were saved! If there outstanding performance during the ambush doesn't deserve a medal, I don't know what will!"

"Your recommendation is taken into consideration. I will review their reports and get back to you later."

Naruto nodded, "Sai and Sasuke, I recommend that they be allowed to participate in the up coming Chunnin Exams as well. If Haruno Sakura is promoted, I would suggest that we induct Sarutobi Konohamaru into the shinobi ranks and have the three perform the necessary D-ranks for teamwork training before participating in the exams."

"Ano... Naruto-sama, is it wise to put Konohamaru-san into such a difficult exam at such a young age?" Choza asked with concern.

Naruto's small grin enlarged into a foxy one as he said, "I am sure that my apprentice can give the vaunted Ino-Shika-Cho of my generation a run for their money. I'll say he is a prodigy in his own right, but don't let him learn that I said that. He has a bit of an ego after all. No need to feed it. I doubt we want another practioner of the Big Head Jutsu!"

Everyone chuckled at the subtle jab at Iruka, who was unfortunately not here to protest. "Very will. I will have Iruka administer the test. Konohamaru-kun should become a proud shinobi of Konoha by tomorrow evening. Continue!"

"Zabuza, Haku and Fū have successfully escorted the supplies to the rebels with much trouble. The were accousted by a small group of bandits. A couple of whom were academy dropouts and the leader was a former Tokubetsu Jōnin of Kiri. Zabuza took care of them without fanfare."

Hiruzen nodded when Shikaku asked, "What about Kakashi?"

"As I said, the Mizu Daimyō has pulled his support from Yagura and is now supporting the rebels. Because of that, I sent Kakashi to protect the Daimyō and his family. A prudent decision as within three days of Kakashi's arrival, he had to thawrt five attempts, three by poison, one by illusion controlled servant and the final by an assassin."

Everyone nodded with looks of understanding as Naruto continued, "Not only that, but yesterday, Kakashi captured some of Yagura's supporters within the Daimyō's court and household. Even now, I have sent a Ketsueki Bunshin to help."

"And Jiraiya's mission?"

"While traveling to the rebel encampment, I sensed a vile presence near our position. As it was underground, I had the team move ahead while I and Jiraiya infiltrated the base using a simple earth ninshu technique. We confronted the snake and nearly captured him but was able to wiggle out of the predicament by summoning the Hakujā Sennin who then proceeded to cancel his contract with the snake clan. Using a remote activated reverse summoning seal, he escaped before I and Koshiro-sempai could put an end to him. After that, Jiraiya decided to join us in our endeavors."

Everyone nodded but before anyone could interrupt Naruto continued, "We took care of all the base personnel and captured two of Orochimaru's top lieutenants. One of them is suffering from some kind of natural sage transformation but without being able to control himself. The other is a Kaguya suffering from what Sakura-chan said was a degenerative bone disease. He won't make it without extensive therapy. Currently, they are in stasis sealed in human containment scrolls within the Uzumaki compound under the protection of Konjiki Dōmon. I have a feeling that I can convince them to join us."

"Do as you see fit Naruto-kun. Now is that all?"

"For the moment anyway!"

"Wait a minute, can I ask why put the Kaguya in stasis especially if he is suffering from the inherent degenerative disease all Kaguya contract at one point in time? I mean there is no known cure at the moment!" Tsunade exclaimed only for Hiruzen to groan.

"You are really outdated, aren't you? Sakura-chan has already found a cure. Konjiki Dōmon's wife is a Kaguya suffering from the same disease. She is already being treated by the process Sakura-chan has devised. It shows great promise as Honoka-san is no longer coughing up blood and her bone density is returning to Kaguya standards."

Tsunade gaped at the news. Until now, even herself had given up hope on curing the Kaguya Degenerative Disease. To hear a young child develop a cure for what seemed to be an uncurable disease was shocking.

"That is the very reason why we have appointed Haruno Sakura as the head of the Konoha Iryōnin training program and medical research. The same program you once wished to implement but was turned down due to it being unfeasible during the Third War." Hideyoshi said with a smile.

"She is a formidable Kunoichi, even without her medical prowess. Much like you in fact, with similar physical strength, using a similar seal to store excess chakra and with outstanding medical abilities. Reminds me of how you were before those tragic events you suffered from." Hiruzen said causing Tsunade to look at her former Sensei with shock.

Schooling her features, Tsunade turned to Naruto and asked, "So when are you coming back? Now that I hear about her, I am very interested in meeting her."

Naruto chuckled and said, "A week at most! I advise you train and regain some of your skills again. Being semi-retired for so long, I don't want people to accuse Sakura-chan of defeating you when you were not at your best!"

The cheeky grin Naruto sported caused a vein to throw on Tsunade's forehead. Growling, Tsunade gritted out, "Don't underestimate experience gaki. While this Haruno Sakura maybe skilled, experienced shinobi can easily out do her!"

"What ever you say bā-chan!" Naruto waved off nonchalantly before turning back to the council and saying, "That's all I have to report for now!"

"Thank you for your taking your time to come and give your report in person, Naruto-kun. Council dismissed!"

Everyone nodded and before leaving all of them wished Naruto luck with his upcoming duel with Yagura. After everyone left, only Naruto, Tsunade, Hiruzen and Hideyoshi were left.

"Well played Naruto-kun. I must say, I never expected Danzō to so easily be defeated. He was usually more attentive." Hideyoshi said with a grin.

"He didn't expect us to move against him. Besides, it is one for this very reason I had been discussing the academy curriculum with him. I have been subtly enforcing the idea that we were very alike. That made him relax and comfortable with me. He thought I wouldn't have stopped intercepted the messages from his Root commander in Kiri and use it against him. He expected me to come to him alone and discuss it in private. That's why he panicked and try to flee when bā-chan stormed into the Chambers!"

"You played a very dangerous game gaki. One single mistake and Danzō would have capitalized on it." Tsunade said with a frown.

"That's why I put up the charade of having the same mentality as him. Anyway, I am sure you would like to rest, so I recommend that you stay at the Uzumaki Clan compound. The Senju is sure to be in disrepair. Besides, you have enough Uzumaki blood flowing through your veins for the barrier to allow you entrance without the permission seal. Then there's Moka-ōbasama. I am sure you remember her. She was close friends with your grandmother. I am sure she would love to see more family!"

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock at Naruto's revelation. "Moka-ōbachan is still alive? How? I thought everyone in Uzu died!"

"You will be surprised at how tenacious we Uzumaki really are! We are like weeds. No matter how much you strive to eradicate us, we will pop-up from the most unsuspecting places!"

"Ain't that true!" Hiruzen grumbled under his breath as the four walked out of the chamber. Shizune falling into place behind her teacher.

* * *

"It's been so long since I have been here last!" Tsunade said with misty eyes before her eyes widened in shock at the number of people rushing about. Granted most weren't Uzumaki, but the few Uzumaki who passed by caused Tsunade to gasp.

"Amazing isn't it. When I started living here, I was completely alone with Sakura-chan staying over from time to time. Now, there isn't a moment of peace!"

"Again Ayakō! Don't get frustrated! The objective of the exercise is to keep calm and let your chakra flow in spirals above your palms and in different directions..."

Ayakō looked up with a frustrated frown as Moka started giving her the same lecture when she saw Naruto walking towards them with a blonde woman. Behind them was a black haired woman carrying a pig. Jumping up before Moka could finish her lecture, Ayakō called out, "Naruto-sama! Your back!"

Moka just sighed before calling, "Alright, class dismissed!"

Cheering fillde the small crowd of children as they stood up and rushed towards Naruto calling out for his attention. "Hey kids! Having fun with Ōba-sama?"

Ayakō pouted, "Mou... Ōba-sama has been forcing us to practice chakra control! She hasn't been allowing us the practice ninshu!"

Naruto chuckled, "Now now Ayakō-chan. Chakra control is a very important lesson. If you have better control of your chakra, the larger amount of element you can connect to and the stronger your ninshu will be! So listen to her and practice!"

Ayakō nodded with a pout as Naruto continued, "How is your mother doing?"

"Much better! The treatment Sakura-nēsama assigned her is causing her to recover faster than expected. They say that mother will be able to leave the hospital by next Monday!"

"Then that means she will come home to you in three days. I am sure she will love to see how much you have progressed by then!" Naruto said with an encouraging smile. Now run along and make sure to keep the other kids out of trouble. Where is your brother? I was sure I sensed Mokuren here!"

"Mokuren-kun has better chakra control than his sister. He has already mastered this part. I sent him off to the park with Moegi-kun!"

"Naruto-sama!" A voice called from behind him. Turning, everyone saw Suiren sitting in a crouched position with her head lowered in deference.

The girl was wearing black Anbu issue uniform much like his own with a dark navy blue vest. Crystals seemed to be embedded on the vest. On the back was an Uzumaki swirl and on the sleeve of her top was the symbol of a lotus encased in crystal. The girls shoulder length hair was tied up in a ponytail with a pair of ornamental chopsticks made of crystal holding it in place. On her forehead was the Uzushio Hitai-ate.

"Ah... Suiren! I have something to discuss with you. Meet me in my study with an hour. Bring Konohamaru with you! You may return to your duties!"

"As you wish Naruto-sama!" Suiren said before a cloud of navy blue crystal dust obscured her form. As the crystal dust settled, the girl was gone.

"Ah... I wish I could be like Sui-nēsama!" Ayakō said before a crashing sound filled the compound and then shouts resounded. Ayakō's eyes widened in shock before she rushed off towards to commotion.

"Ayakō is quite forgetful, isn't she?" Naruto said with a chuckle as Moka sighed in annoyance.

"That she is. Reminds me of Mito-nēsama. She was like her at that age as well. I see that you brought little Tsuna as well. Good to see you well Tsu-chan. I hear that you have been moping about ever since your brother and lover died. That is quite unbecoming of someone of your stature. Do you think they would approve of your life style? You do know that you have been dishonouring their sacrifice as well as your grandfather, greatuncle and grandmother's legacy!"

Tsunade flinched at the calm tone in which Moka said all this. Keeping her head lowered, Tsunade waited for Moka to reveal the infamous Uzumaki temper inmy for the order woman to sigh and say, "Anyway, let's keep the past in the past. I hope that you won't be dishonouring them anymore from now on. Now I am sure that you and your apprentice will be living with us, so... Hinagiku-kun!"

"You need me Moka-sama?" Yūki Hinagiku asked as she walked into the training field with a tray of iced tea.

"Yes Hinagiku-kun. Please prepare two of the guest bedrooms in the main building. We will be having these two fine kunoichi as our guests for the foreseeable future!"

"At once Moka-sama!"

"And tell Natsumi-kun to serve tea and cinnamon rolls in zen garden. We will be there!"

"And give me the tray!" Naruto said taking the tray without even letting the woman protest and shooing her away.

Turning back to Tsunade, Moka asked with a teasing grin, "Now Tsu-chan, don't tell me all that alcohol has addled your mind! Have you forgotten standard etiquette?"

Tsunade flushed in embarrassment before saying, "This is Kato Shizune, my apprentice. She is quite skilled in treatment of poisoning."

"Nice to meet you Kato-kun. I hope to get to know you better!"

Shizune bowed and said, "It is an honor Uzumaki-sama!"

"Are you joining us Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head, "Unfortunately no. I have to !eave within two hours. Before that, I need to meet up with that Jōnin from Kusa. I hate idiots like the Kusa ninja."

"Have fun with the meeting. I am sure you won't have to subdue Kusa. Then again, they were always lead by idiots. I remember Tobirama-kun complaining about empty heads filled with dead grass."

* * *

Naruto was sitting on a luxurious cushion with a plate of expensive meat in front of him. With care, a cook grilled a piece of meat before dipping the meat into a spicy sauce and placing it on his plate. Naruto picked up the piece and ate it with slow bites. Beside him, Hyūga Hinata was daintly eating her own piece.

"Are the pieces to your liking, Naruto-sama, Hinata-sama?"

Naruto nodded with regal posture as Hinata said, "Perfectly done Yukimura-san. Please continue..."

In front of the pair sat a fidgeting red haired red eyes girl. Beside the girl was an older woman in her mid thirties. Both were wearing Kusa Hitai-ate. Naruto and Hinata kept eating for some time more before Naruto turned his gaze upon the redhead.

"You are having trouble believing that I am your clan head, aren't you?"

"You can speak freely. Naruto-kun doesn't maintain much decorum with family!" Hinata said with an encouraging smile as she took a sip of the expensive sake the restaurant had provided them.

Karin and Sachikō looked startled before Karin said in a tentative whisper, "I know that your mother was Uzumaki Kushina-sama and your father was Namikaze Minato-sama, but I didn't really believed the rumors that said you look more like your father than your mother. I just expected red hair is all."

Naruto chuckled, "I may look like my father but I can assure you, I do have Uzumaki qualities. After all there is a reason my friends try not to anger me. An angry Uzumaki is a dangerous one!"

"I will say. You really didn't need to have Kiba-kun go through that humiliating sequence of events for making an improper comment about Suiren-san!"

Sachikō and Karin shared an awkward look before saying, "If I may, Naruto-sama?"

"You may not!" Naruto said with a slightly cold look in his eyes causing Sachikō to shiver at the blunder. She forgot that not only was Naruto the clan head, but also a Daimyō and probably the most powerful Shinobi at the moment. Before she could apologize, Naruto spoke.

"We know why you are here. You wish to hand over Karin to us, but we doubt that's your only motivation. Tell us, what does the leader of Kusa and his council want? We shall see if it is within our power to grant!"

Sachikō suppressed a shiver. The authority and power Naruto was exuding was nearly overwhelming. Gulping, Sachikō said, "My leader and the council wish to offer your highness a chance to open a branch of your clan in Kusa!"

"I see and why should I need their permission when our fellow Daimyō has already sent us a request for that. Mind, our fellow Daimyō didn't offer permission but requested us to consider the proposal. So tell me, do your leaders think they are over your Daimyō?"

"Ah..." Sachikō mumbled only for Naruto to speak.

"Begone from my sights! You have insulted us and you have insulted our peer. Be thankful that we don't take action for this insult! Our peer shall learn of this duplicity on your leaders behalf!"

Karin was startled at the sudden change in behavior from Naruto and started to shiver in fright. Karin feared that he would disown her from her clan!

"Uzumaki Karin, hand over your Hitai-ate to this woman and join us for lunch. We wish to get to know you better cousin!"

Karin took of the Kusa Hitai-ate with shaking hands and handed it over to Sachikō who took it with a pale face. Depositing the scroll containing Karin's documents into Hinata's outstretched hands, Sachikō quickly stood up, bowed and nearly ran out of the room. Just as she was about to open the sliding door, two Anbu dropped from the ceiling.

"Fū, Torune... Make sure that Sachikō-san leaves Konoha immediately!"

Both nodded before grabbing Sachikō by the arms and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Karin watched dumbfounded at the scene before Hinata started giggling. "Don't be afraid Karin-san. Naruto-kun isn't like this most of the time."

"It's just idiots like them gives me a headache. Going behind the back of their Daimyō! Granting permission to a different Daimyō! Only the greatest of idiots make such blunders. Kusa is lucky that I am a very laid-back kind of guy otherwise I would have already declared war on Kusa with my allies following suit. Anyway, tell me about your abilities Karin-chan?"

"Ano... I am a sensor with a range of nearly two miles! When I focus, I can see the world in Gray and blue."

Naruto nodded, "Then tell me, what do you see a mile south by south-west of here. In that little park."

Karin looked surprised and asked, "Are you a sensor as well? What's your range?"

"Not like you. My sensory skills comes from senjutsu. As for my range, passively, I can sense five miles. Actively, more than fifty!"

Karin's eyes bulged out in shock, "I didn't know that there were sensors with such a huge range!"

Naruto grinned, "I am awesome like that! Now tell me... What do you see?"

Karin nodded and closed her eyes before clasping her hands into a tiger seal. After a moment, she spoke, "There are five kids, two male and three female playing ninja. One of the girls have a large chakra reserve that feels like ours!"

"That's enough. I realize what you have. The sensory ability is called Kagura Shigan. Your gift is particularly strong. Anything else?"

"I was traing as a Iryōnin. My chakra has higher yang concentration than most that allows me to heal people by having them bite me." Karin said with a slight blush.

"That's rare. Very few has such a strong yang affinity. Moka-ōbachan will be interested. Anything else?"

"Sometimes I can manifest chains made from my chakra!"

"Splendid... It seems that the Kongō Fūsa ability isn't lost. Moka-ōbachan was afraid it was lost with my mother!"

"Ano... Naruto-sama, are there more Uzumaki alive? I heard a rumour that there were more Uzumaki living here!" Karin asked with hope.

"Sure there are. I personally went out and found them! In fact I believe that there are more out there, hiding! Now let's finish our lunch before we head to the compound. I still have a meeting with my apprentice and a clan retainer! Help yourself!"

Karin nodded with a small smile before looking up in realization, "You have an apprentice? I thought you were a Genin!"

Naruto chuckled, "I am awesome like that!"

Hinata smiled and said, "Naruto-kun had been promoted a few weeks ago. As for having an apprentice, he has been training many shinobi, Anbu and Hokage-sama included ever since he graduated!"

Karin looked gobsmacked at the revelation before Naruto coughed and motioned for her to start eating. Shaking her head, Karin smiled and started eating with the couple.

* * *

Naruto walked through the compound with a purpose. Hinata and Karin behind him. They walked towards the back of the compound, towards the training fields. As they approached the fields, they saw Tsunade training with Moka. The blonde medic was barely able to come close to the wizened Uzumaki elder. Four long glowing yellow chains were writhing about behind her and attacking the blonde woman with impunity.

Karin gasped in shock and awe drawing the two sparring women's attention. "Ah... You must be Karin-kun. Welcome home child! I am Moka, you can call me Ōba!"

"Senju Tsunade. A cousin by my grandmother. Nice to meet you!"

Karin's eyes widened in shock. It seems that ever since she came to Konoha, she has been shocked more times than she can remember. "Uzumaki Karin! It's an honor to meet you both!"

"No need for such formalities outside official meeting and events. We are family." Naruto said clasping the girl on her shoulder and smiled encouragingly before turning to Tsunade, "Oi Bā-chan, she is a medic-in-training with Kagura Shigan, Kongō Fūsa and high yang affinity. I am sure you understand!"

Moka and Tsunade looked at the girl in shock. Three of the most powerful abilities a Uzumaki can possess and she has all three. They could see it now. The massive potential, if realized will make her rival monsters like Hashirama and Madara, with proper training of course.

"Bā-chan, Ōba-chan, I want you both to train her personally for the upcoming Chunnin exams. I am sure she's up for the task."

"Are you sure Naruto-sama! I don't want to dishonour the clan by underperforming. I don't think I am ready!" Karin asked with uncertainty.

Naruto smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. That's why I want you trained by these two awesome ladies. I am sure that by the time they finish, you will be a formidable Kunoichi!"

Karin nodded with a nervous smile as Moka asked, "Are you going to stay for tea Hinata-kun?"

"If it's not much trouble."

"No trouble at all. In fact I believe that we need to spend more time together. After all, in the near future you will be a member of the clan."

"A main branch Hyūga marrying outside the clan without the caged bird seal?" Tsunade asked in shock.

"That's right. I am Hyūga Hinata, present heiress of the Hyūga Clan and Naruto-kun's fiancee. Nice to meet you Tsunade-sama!"

"Fiancee? Gaki! What are you doing? Your only thirteen years old!" Tsunade exclaimed with incredulity.

"Honoring a verbal agreement between our parents. Besides, I am a Daimyō. Being engaged to Hinata-chan protects me from persecution by my fellow Daimyō. After all I am subjected to the Daimyō CRA law."

"Oh right! I completely forget about it. The Shinobi CRA was based off that one. Being betrothed prevents others from forcing you to marry girls of their choice."

"You do know that only a single fiancee won't protect you forever, right?"

"Don't worry about the future. Think about the present. I have a lot of time to search for suitable brides. See you later everyone, Konohamaru and Suiren are outside my study!"

* * *

Suiren and Konohamaru were standing outside the study when Naruto appeared in a yellow flash. Walking into the room, Naruto motioned for the duo to follow.

After sitting himself behind the desk Naruto turned to the two and said, "Konohamaru, I have recommended that you be inducted into the shinobi ranks. Tomorrow is your graduation exam. After that, you will be performing D-ranks with some Genin teams. This is because I have recommended that you be allowed to participate in the upcoming Chunnin exams. You shall be replacing me on Team 7. Practice hard and make me proud to be your master and friend!"

"You can count on me Shisō! Even if I hate D-ranks, I will finish them with perfect records!"

Naruto nodded before turning to Suiren. "I am going to be recommending you to be in the Chunnin Exams as well. Your teammates will be Yūki Haku and Uzumaki Karin. The latter of whom has just rejoined the clan. I am leaving behind clones while I am in Kiri to help train you. Here catch!"

Suiren and Konohamaru looked surprised but easily snatched their respective scrolls. Seeing the questioning looks, Naruto explained, "That contains the katas Gai and I developed for better control of earth. Practice and perfect them at your leisure. They will help with your bending."

"Thank you Naruto-sama! I will not let you down!"

"By the time you return boss! I will be a master in it!"

Naruto nodded with a smile before saying, "Bold words Konohamaru, since I will be back by next Wednesday. Train hard you two and Suiren, have you tried manipulating crystal dust?"

Suiren's eyes widened in shock as Naruto smiled and vanished into thin air.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Hakujā Sennin = White Snake Sage_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu: Koku Gyakumodori = Sealing Art: Dark Reversion_**

 ** _Kongō Fūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	18. Chapter 17 - Dawn

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - Dawn**

Konohamaru and Suiren were practicing the new katas under the strict supervision of a clone of Naruto when Karin and Tsunade approached them with interest gleaming in their eyes.

"Yo Bā-chan, Karin-chan! Come to watch ninshu practice?" Naruto asked causing a confused look to grace both their faces.

"Ninshu? Is this what this style of Taijutsu called?" Tsunade asked with curiosity causing Naruto, Suiren and Konohamaru to laugh.

Tsunade and her red haired companion just looked even more confused as a vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead. Calming themselves, Naruto said, "Sorry about that. I forget that the concept of ninshu has not been heard since the time of the Rikudō Sennin. Ninjutsu is a bastardized version of ninshu. Ninshu is the art of communication through action. It is both a physical art as well as spiritual. While ninjutsu requires a large amount of chakra being expelled from the body after moulding, ninshu uses the chakra to forge a connection with the very elements themselves. An adept user like Sakura-chan can use their connection to the elements to perform impressive feats of healing or harm. Let me show you. Konohamaru, Suiren, come at me with the intent to kill!"

Without even hesitating, the duo charged at Naruto. Fire spilling from Konohamaru's fists while crystals and rocks floated about Suiren. Jumping up, Konohamaru kicked towards Naruto causing a wave of blistering hot flames. The interesting fact was that the flame was predominantly yellow but with streaks of different colours flowing through them.

At the same time, Suiren slammed a fist into the ground causing a jagged wave of rock spikes to fly towards Naruto.

Tsunade and Karin watched in awe and shock at the skill on display, not to mention the ability to use the elements without hand seals. Both were concerned when the flames engulfed Naruto right before the spikes flew through the flames. There was a small explosion causing both Karin and Tsunade to cry out in shock.

Suiren dropped her guard and feared that she had hurt Naruto, even if it was only a clone, but Konohamaru narrowed his eyes before jumping back and throwing his arms out in a circular motion releasing waves of blue electricity. The three girls gasped in horror at the young Sarutobi's audacity when the electricity was redirected towards the boy.

The three girls looked shocked at the sequence of events as Konohamaru raised a block of earth to intercept the redirected lightning. As the block exploded Konohamaru tried to jump back only to find that his body didn't obey.

Beside him, Suiren found herself in a similar quandary, only in her case, it was the very air that was holding her captive a couple of inches above the earth.

A clapping sound filled the training field as the smoke and dust obscuring Naruto cleared to reveal him completely untouched. Naruto had a massive grin on his face as he said, "Good job you two. Suiren, your habit of lowering your guard is a very dangerous habit. You need to break it. Otherwise, you did well for someone with very little formal training."

Suiren nodded as Naruto gently let her down before turning his attention to Konohamaru. "Excellent job Konohamaru. Your mastery of fire is coming along nicely. A true prodigy in both skill and hard work. Lightning generation is something I have yet to teach you, but that didn't stop you from learning it. While it was a good attempt, you need to learn to direct the lightning I to a more focused beam. It was too spread out and easy to redirected. Keep practicing. You focus on earth more from now on. You did well in your first true attempt during a fight but the speed needs to improve. Now get practicing the katas. They are for a style of defensive earth bending. I can already see you favoring it."

"Sure thing boss!" Konohamaru said with a bow as be felt control of his body return to him.

"How? You should have not escaped unscathed!" Karin asked with confusion. "The flames were hot enough to instantly barbeque a human body! And how did you three manipulate the elements without chakra usage?"

"Karin is right Naruto. How did you survive?"

"Simple! I bended the very air to my will and created a field of vacuum around me. The top layer of the vacuum had the air churning in such a way that it redirected the flames away from me. The earthen spikes struck the vacuum and were pulverized. Karin, the art of ninshu is far more complicated than ninjutsu. As I said, ninshu forges a connection with the elements by using chakra flow as the medium. There is no direct usage of chakra. The larger the chakra reserves, the larger amount of element one can connect to."

Karin nodded when Tsunade said, "Ninshu seems very powerful. Much more so than ninjutsu. How did you redirect the lightning?"

"Easy, I absorbed the lightning through one arm, flowed it through my chakra centre and redirected it up my other before releasing it again!"

Tsunade and Karin stared at the boy in shock. Absorbing a Jutsu was unheard off, but to absorb the very element itself and then redirecting it, preposterous. Unfortunately, they had proof of it happening right in front of them.

"If you are interested, I can teach you both?" Naruto said with a cheeky grin.

"I would advise that you both the offer into careful consideration, especially you Karin. Naruto has decided that ninshu will replace ninjutsu for all Uzu shinobi!" Moka said walking up to the group. "Too bad Jiraiya didn't accept his offer. I am sure that he would have been formidable, especially with his inclination to earth and air."

"I will think about it Obā-sama." Tsunade said with a thoughtful expression while Karin looked Konohamaru and Suiren before turning to Naruto and saying, "I am not really a fighter, but I will make sure not to dishonour the clan!"

"That's all I ask!" Naruto said before turning back to Konohamaru and Suiren as Tsunade, Karin and Moka left.

* * *

"Naruto-sama! Yagura has accepted your challenge! He has agreed to meet you at the northern marshes three days from now!" Mei said with a bow.

Naruto stood up from his meditative state and nodded. "That's good. I was afraid that Yagura wouldn't accept."

"Our thoughts exactly Naruto-sama. Jiraiya-sama has been urging us to prepare for a hostile take-over."

Naruto shook his head in exasperated fondness. "Can't blame him. He is a veteran of two wars after all. Very few have true experience like that. Luckily, we don't have to be pessimistic this time."

Mei nodded in agreement. "Who are you taking with you as your witnesses to the Duel?"

"I was hoping that you, Aō and Chojuro would accompany me along with Jiraiya, Sakura-chan and Neko?"

Mei felt honoured at the request. She didn't expect Naruto ask her to be one of his witnesses. "We will be honored to accompany you Naruto-sama, but are you sure Yagura won't ambush you?"

Naruto chuckled, "Oh! I already know that he is going to ambush me. Team Alpha has done a fine job gathering intel. He will place five hundred of his most loyal shinobi under the command of his Anbu Commander. They will hide in the mists and await the opportunity to attack me. Unfortunately for them, I already have a plan to deal with the idiots. There won't be much collateral damage as well. Yagura will be defeated as quickly as possible."

Mei looked unsure about the plan but nodded in deference to Naruto's decision. "Good riddance I say. Yagura doesn't deserve mercy. Not after what the monster did!"

Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance causing Mei to look startled at Naruto's sudden bad mood. "Don't condemn someone without knowing their background. Have you thought that Yagura may be under control of someone?"

Mei nodded with shame, "I have, but even if that's true, the people of Kiri will never suffer him to live. Not after what he has put them through."

"Then have him be hidden. If I can free him from the control and fake his death, then have him as a personal Anbu Guard! Keep him close. He would be a fine ally. An ally who is a complete wild card. Beside you won't have to retrain another jinchūriki. You already have a Kage ranked perfect jinchūriki!"

Mei nodded in agreement, "Will you be able to do that?"

Naruto's face adopted a foxy grin as he said, "Who knows, but I will try!"

* * *

Haku, Fū, Sakura and Tenten were sitting at a secluded table in the mess hall having lunch when Naruto walked in with Zabuza, Gai, Neji, Lee, Sai and Sasuke. As they entered, a respectful silence came over the gathered Kiri rebels.

Many, having finished their lunch, stood up and left but not before bowing to Naruto. Seeing that many more were getting up to leave, Naruto addressed the group and said, "No need to get up and bow. Please continue with your lunches!"

They all nodded with respect before turning back to their food. "Oi Naruto! It's surprising to see you in here. Don't you normally have lunch with Mei-sama?" Sakura called out getting a chuckle from Naruto's group.

"Can't I have the urge to spend time with you four young ladies. Beautiful ones at that!" Naruto said with a teasing grin causing a blush to form on Haku, Tenten and Fū's faces. Sakura on the other hand shook her head in exasperation, "You really have changed Naruto. There was a time you wouldn't realize if a girl was flirting with you. Now I find you flirting yourself!"

"What do you mean? I don't remember about any girls flirting with me. Anyway, I have good news. Danzō's gone. Root is under my control."

Sakura looked startled at the news. "When? How?"

"This morning. I went to Konoha myself to deliver this week's report. The trecherous fool exposed himself without even realizing it. Anyway, Haku, I have recommended you to be in the Chunnin Exams. Your teammates will be Suiren and Uzumaki Karin, a genin from Kusa who was transferred to Uzu as is proper."

"I will not let you down Naruto-sama!" Haku said with a bow.

"Team 9, at my recommendation, Gai has decided to allow you three in the Chunnin Exams as well. Start preparing. We will be back in Konoha within the week."

"Make us proud my youthful students! I have no doubt that you all will do well!" Gai said with unshesd tears.

The three members of Team 9 bowed to the two and replied, "We will be sure to bring you honor Sensei, Naruto-sama!"

"Sakura..." Naruto sighed before saying, "You have been recommended for a field promotion from multiple separate sources including me. I have no doubt that you will at least be awarded the rank of Chunnin. The decision is pending the Hokage's review of all the reports. Furthermore, Senju Tsunade has returned and decided to test you in your skills as a combat medic. Prepare for a serious spar after we return to Konoha."

Sakura nodded with narrowed eyes. She had a feeling that Naruto's actions were behind the spar.

"Then I guess Team 7 isn't going to be participating this time!" Sasuke sighed in disappointment.

Zabuza and Gai shared an amused look as Naruto said, "Unfortunately for you Sasuke, you will be taking the exams with greenhorns! Kakashi has recommended you for the exams."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at the information as he groaned, "Oh great. I have to babysit brats."

"Not really, your teammates will be Sai and Konohamaru."

"What? But Konohamaru is still in the academy!" Sakura exclaimed in shock.

"With the new curriculum, Konohamaru is more than ready to graduate. In fact, his graduation exam is tomorrow. I am sure that my apprentice will be a good asset to Konoha!"

Sasuke released a sigh of relief before realizing his situation. With a look of horror, he turned to look at Sai. Seeing the look, Sai said, "Don't look at me like that dickless! I am not into men!"

Everyone started laughing at the Uchiha's expense as said Uchiha grumbled about how unfair life is to him.

* * *

Neko and Tora were sitting under a tree sharpening their Anbu issue tantō when Naruto walked up to them. "Neko, you will be accompanying me to the Duel site along with Jiraiya, Sakura-chan, Mei, Aō and Chojuro. Tora, I want you to create a few sensory plants around the camp. I have a feeling that Yagura won't keep to the rules of dueling."

Both nodded and Naruto turned to leave. Just before disappearing, Naruto said, "You both have been recommended for Spirit of the Forest medal. Tora, Danzō croaked this morning. Root is under my control now!"

Neko and Tora looked startled at the revelation but before they could ask, Naruto vanished into thin air.

* * *

A dark skinned man with very prominent muscles was working through the massive pile of papers on his desk when a fair skinned girl with blonde hair and blue cat like eyes walked into his office with a look of anger on her face.

Looking up from his paperwork, he took one look at the girls face and a shiver passed down his spine. Shaking off the feeling, the man asked in an irritated tone, "What is it Yugito? Don't you see I have much work to do!"

The girl narrowed her eyes and said in a cold tone, "Don't care! How could you do that to me uncle?"

The man looked confused before his eyes widened in realization, "You know?"

"Yep!"

The man sighed before saying, "It's not completely assured Yugito. We don't know if he will accept, and we can't force him to do anything. On the contrary, it is more probable that he will force us to submit to his will."

"That doesn't mean you can use me as a bartering chip!" Yugito all but shouted. A cold killing intent wafting off of her. "And Samui? Why included her? And who is this man that causes the famed Yondaime Raikage and his council to wag their tails and suck up to the bastard?"

The Raikage chuckled in amusement before saying, "Actually, Samui is being added as a choice. She is after all closer to his age. As for who the person is. To tell you the truth, he is a powerful young Daimyō."

"We are shinobi! From when did we start kissing the asses of those stuck up princes?" Yugito snarled when Ē threw her a bingo book marked with a book mark. Opening the book to the marked page, Yugito's eyes widened in shock as realization set in. Looking up at the Raikage, she asked with a stuttering tone, "He is to be one of ours husband?"

Ē nodded as Yugito said, "But he is just a child! And I am sure that he is arrogant as well. So much power at the hands of someone so young!"

"He isn't arrogant Yugito. He has earned his reputation. Read this report from our spies in Nami no Kuni and then tell me your thoughts on him. If you still think him arrogant, then I will withdraw your name from the proposal." Ē said as he handed over a file that he took out from his desk.

Ē returned back to his paperwork as Yugito pursued through the documents. After finishing, Yugito stood silently and pondered the information she received. It was nearly half an hour later that she finally spoke. "Alright, I agree that he is not arrogant. In fact, I believe him to be the humblest and kind hearted Daimyō in existence, let alone a shinobi. But is he really that much of a threat that you would sell one of us off in a political marriage?"

"He is very honorable. I believe that if neither of you wants to marry him, then he won't hold it against Kumo. The marriage proposal is just an excuse to get into a closer relationship with him, Konoha and the reforming Uzushiogakure. There is also another reason to include you. There are some in the council who doesn't like you. I fear that they may try something one day. With you being a candidate, they would be more cautious of sending you on a suicide mission like last time. I did it to protect you Yugito. I never meant to hurt you." Ē said with a sad smile.

Yugito looked at the man with scepticism before nodded, "Alright, I understand. Can you tell me one thing, is he really strong, or is it all propaganda?"

Ē smirked and said, "His father was strong. Ending a whole battilion of Elite shinobi is not easy. Even I don't think I can do it. To subdue the same without killing, unheard off. He is far stronger than his father. In fact, I believe that if both met in battle, I will put my bet on the son. Now get going! I still have a lot to do!"

Yugito nodded with a slight smile as she thought to herself, maybe it won't be such a bad idea, even if she had to share him. She just hoped that Samui was as understanding as her.

Hearing the door to his office close, Ē let out a sigh of relief. He really thought that Yugito would have practiced her clawing skills on his face. He knew who was responsible for the information leak and he promised himself that he will punish the fool as he growled out, "When I get my hands on you Bee!"

* * *

Naruto, Mei, Chojuro, Aō, Jiraiya and Neko walked towards the meeting place in the middle of the swamp lands. Sakura was also there, but instead of walking, she was using earth bending to follow them underground. As the group neared the appointed place, they saw that Yagura was already there with three members of his Shinobi Council.

"I am surprised that you didn't try an ambush Yagura. It seems that all hope isn't lost for you yet!" Naruto said with a mocking grin. Yagura just glared at the boy before saying, "I am not an uncouth barbarian like those you support! Shall we get on with it?"

"Really? Then who are the presences I sense scattered about the swamp?" Naruto said getting a confused look from Yagura. At the same time, the three councillors we're sharing nervous looks and fidgeting. "Oh, you don't know! Then it seems that your councillors have their own agenda, isn't that right?"

The three councillors shivered in fear. Yagura may have let them do anything they wanted, but they knew that Yagura didn't take kindly to anyone other than himself ordering his troops. Before they knew what happened, spikes of coral had pierced their hearts. Just before they lost consciousness, they saw Yagura's usually impassive face sporting an angered expression.

"Forgive me for the insult. I didn't expect my Councillors to go behind my back. In fact, I had ordered all my troops to stand down and await the results of our duel under the pain of death. Please allow me to correct the mistake!"

Naruto saw Yagura bow to him with an impassive face only for Yagura's Anbu commander to appear and attack Yagura only for the earth infron if the Mizukage to burst forth and reveal a pink haired girl fly out and punch the man in the sternum. Everyone watched as a shockwave erupted from the point of contact before the man's body flew back with a massive hole in his chest.

As the Anbu commander died, a massive shout erupted from the surrounding forests as a battalion of five hundred Kiri Shinobi charged forward with intent to kill. Before anyone realized what happened, a six-point red barrier formed around the duellists and their witnesses.

"Yagura, see how many are traitor's and how many are just following their superior's orders!" Naruto stated with a grin as he handed the Sanbi Jinchūriki a seal. Seeing Yagura's confusion, Naruto mimed placing it on his throat and speaking.

Nodding, Yagura placed the seal on his throat and activated it before speaking, "All Kiri Shinobi! I, Yagura as your Kage orders you to stand down and retreat. Await the results of the duel! Any who disobey me will be treated as traitor's regardless the outcome of the duel! I repeat, stand down and retreat!"

Deactivating the seal, Yagura handed it back to Naruto with a grateful nodded and waited for the loyal shinobi to retreat. At the same time, the shinobi closest to the barrier started trying to break it down with a barrage of jutsu.

After five minutes, Naruto sighed and said, "It seems that only three fifths of the battilion retreated. The remaining two hundred are traitors. Do you mind if we handle the situation?"

"Go ahead! It's not like I have an inclination to save them!"

Naruto nodded before turning to Sakura and nodded. With a grin expression, Sakura nodded and vanished into the earth before reappearing in the middle of the attacking shinobi. Before the Kiri traitors could react, Sakura took a deep breath before stomping the ground.

Spikes of earth erupted around the girl, easily piercing the surprised Kiri shinobi. Before they could react, Sakura jumped forward and punched the ground causing a shock wave to erupt, throwing back the Kiri ninja. Straightening up, Sakura took a deep breath before the diamond on her forehead glowed and spread around her face and arms.

Looking up, Sakura grinned before stomping the ground causing large chunks of earth to float around her. Looking around, she saw the Kiri ninja prepare to throw jutsu at her. Throwing her arms forward, the large boulders flew forward and crashed into the surprised ninja. At the same time, the ninja flanking her threw some water ninjutsu at her, hoping to take her by surprise.

Making a waving gesture, Sakura took control of all the water jutsu around her and caused the water to flow around her like a serpent. Shaping the water into multiple tentacles, Sakura caused them to whip out at the shocked shinobi. The shinobi just looked surprised as their jutsu were turned against them in an instant. The whipping of the water caused many sharp blades of water to rain down upon the surprised shinobi. The most shocking thing was that the water froze into ice as they flew at the shinobi.

A few were able to jump away or use the Kawarimi to save themselves while the rest were left bloody and dying on the field. Raising her fist, Sakura drained the blood out of the dying ninja and directed it into a ball of frozen blood around her just as multiple fire jutsu struck her position. When the flames dissipated, the Kiri shinobi were shocked to see the blood sphere still standing. Before they could realize what was happening, cracks appeared on the frozen blood. A dull orange glow could be seen from inside the sphere before the sphere suddenly vaporized revealing a sphere of flowing lava.

* * *

Mei, Yagura, Aō and Chojuro gasped in shock as Sakura manipulated a massive quantity of lava and used it to easily wipe away nearly half of the remaining forces, all of whom were stunned at the revelation of someone manipulating lava to such a degree. Turning to Naruto, Mei asked, "Does Sakura-san wield the Yōton Kekkai Genkai like me?"

Naruto laughed and said, "Not really. She doesn't have any Kekkai Genkai at all. What you see is her mastery of Earth Ninshu allowing her to control earth. After all Lava is earth as well. Just in a molten form."

Mei sighed with exasperation and turned her attention back to the one sided slaughter the pink haired Kunoichi was doing. Something, Mei didn't even expect from the medic.

* * *

Letting the lava direct the surviving traitors into a single group, Sakura smirked before jumping up with a pillar of earth helping her gain even more height. The shocked traitors shivered in fear as the pink haired girl vanished in the glare of the sun. Taking defensive positions, the lava restricting their ability to flee, the traitors waited for the girl to crash down in between them. Unfortunately for them, Sakura had a different plan. Pulling back her fist, a pale blue glow covered it as she threw it forward. An invisible shockwave erupted from her fist.

As Sakura was dropping on towards the ground, she saw her shockwave strike the unsuspecting group and flow through their bodies before striking the ground causing a small crater to form under the group. Right as the crater formed, the bodies of the traitors turned to a thick red mist of blood with pale pink pieces of flesh and organs slowly falling within it.

* * *

Chojuro, Neko and Mei vomited at the brutality of Sakura's fight. To see human bodies, disintegrate from a mere shockwave is not something even shinobi of their calibre can easily handle. Beside them, Aō and Yagura looked a bit queasy but held their urges in.

Only Naruto and Jiraiya didn't react to the scene as they watched a pillar of earth rise and catch the airborne Sakura before she could fall into the blood mist. Making a gesture, the pillar surfed over the swampy land towards the barrier holding them in. As the pillar reached closer, it merged with the ground before Sakura came to a stop right in front of the barrier, standing on solid ground.

As Naruto released the barrier, Sakura walked towards them, causing the recently recovered Mei, Neko and Chojuro to flinch at the pink haired medics presence. Looking over the girl, Jiraiya said, "Ha… Now I am glad that Tsunade became lazy after leaving Konoha. Naruto, remind me not to get caught by your friend doing research. I really don't think that I want a beating by her hands."

Naruto chuckled as Sakura smirked as Jiraiya continued, "Damn girl, what kind of training did the two of you do before graduating? Better yet, what have you been eating, because I want some!"

"I must say child; you are truly a brilliant kunoichi. If only I had a few shinobi like you under my command!"

"Then my men and women would have painted the mists red as Sakura-san has done with the traitors, Yagura!" Mei sneered in contempt.

"Let us dispel with the pleasantries and get to the point of the meeting. Yagura, let us face off after you have regained your composure. Jiraiya, take these four kunai. The seals on them are already charged with chakra. I am sure you know what to do. All of you move away about a mile towards Kiri. You have five minutes before we duel!" Naruto said with a commanding presence as he handed Jiraiya four kunai.

With a grim nod, everyone headed off towards Kiri while Yagura and Naruto closed their eyes and waited until the five minutes were over. While they waited, Naruto quietly said, "If you want to even have a chance to win, come at me with your and Isobu's full strength from the start, or else, I can assure you that you will lose. Horribly as well. Then again, on second thought, don't. It will be easier for me to defeat you."

Yagura opened his eyes and glared at Naruto with his eyes glowing an angry red right before he said in a cold tone, "My… aren't you confident. Aren't you overestimating your abilities? How can you be so sure that you will win no matter what?"

"Who knows? But, if I was you, I would take my advice!" Naruto said with a grin before he became serious as Yagura nodded stiffly as he was covered in a cloak of bubbling red chakra taking the form of a turtle with three tails waving behind him.

Yagura let out a growl before the chakra cloak started enlarging with Yagura being in the recently formed head. The red chakra solidified into a grey skin and shell of a massive three tailed turtle. Opening its mouth, the turtle started gathering yin and yang chakra into a super condensed ball of chakra when Naruto raised his right hand and pointed his palm towards the Sanbi-Yagura.

With a grin, Naruto called out, "Bakudō: Hyaku Yari!"

A white glow encompassed Naruto as the light around the Sanbi-Yagura started condensing into thick large spears before, in a blink of an eye, all the spears drove through the Sanbi's body and into the ground, bring down the beast with them. At the same time, the technique seemed to have arrested the Sanbi's ability to mould and manipulate chakra, causing the Bijūdama to dispel.

With another grin, Naruto raised his hand up again and snapped his fingers causing the air to glow with esoteric kanji causing everyone, excluding Naruto, to lose all control of chakra. The seal also had an added effect of forcing a Bijū back into its prison, as such, the Sanbi was back inside Yagura with the chakra cloak fading into the air.

Yagura looked shocked and afraid as Naruto raised his hands up before bringing them down. At first, Yagura didn't realize what happened but suddenly, he felt his body being pushed down. It took a few moments, but by the time Yagura realized what was happening, he was already on his knees as the air around him took on a sliver sheen and started swirling into an orb of opaque winds.

* * *

A hidden observer was watching the battle with a calculating expression. This was very concerning developments for the observer's plans. Naruto was too powerful to be easily caught. The observer watched as Naruto raised his arm and made a fist causing the sphere of opaque wind to collapse, causing a bloody red mist to form.

The observer narrowed his single visible eye as he felt his control on Yagura's mind break. Nodding to himself, the observer was about to leave when Naruto vanished into thin air. This caused the observer's eye to widen in shock as he felt the sudden presence behind him.

The observer turned to see Naruto grinning as a translucent shimmering field was covering the boy in an oval barrier. Jumping back, the observer took a cautious stance and asked, "How can Tobi be of service? Because Tobi's a good boy, Naruto-sama!"

Naruto's grin widened as he chuckled a bit before speaking. "We both know that you are faking the behaviour, Tobi. Or, should I call you Uchiha Obito?"

The observer was surprised at what Naruto said but kept it well hidden as he asked, "Tobi doesn't know what Naruto-sama means?"

"Now, that's not very nice Tobi. You shouldn't lie. If you do, then you aren't a good boy, are you?" Naruto said with a predatory smirk causing Tobi to shiver in fear.

Deciding that he wouldn't be able to fool Naruto, Tobi decided to drop the act. "So you found out my secret, but may I ask how?"

Naruto just smirked and said, "You can, but it doesn't mean that I will answer. I am sure that you will understand. After all, if I ask why you betrayed my father, who was your sensei, his family, your teammates, your village and most of all, your own clan, will you answer? I doubt it."

Obito flinched at the subtle accusations Naruto heaped on him, but decided to act dumb and reply, "I don't know what you mean. You are confusing me with Madara. He was the one who saved me, helped me recover and then trained me after that fateful mission to Kannabi Bridge. It was Madara who attacked Konoha with the Kyūbi when you were born. It was Madara who helped Itachi slaughter the Uchiha Clan."

"Really? That's quite interesting. Then I have to focus all the resources at my disposal to finding and eliminating of the traitor, but that doesn't explain why you were controlling Yagura. Answer that question and I will answer how I know your identity. What do you say?" Naruto asked with a sceptical look.

Obito nodded and said, "Kiri is the reason my teammate, the girl I loved, died. Nakamura Rin was transformed into the Sanbi Jinchūriki with a seal designed to slowly fail and release the beast in Konoha. Kakashi-teme killed her in cold blood, instead of taking her to Minato-sensei. I am sure that he could have done something to save her!"

Naruto felt the raging emotions surging within the rogue Uchiha causing the blonde to give Obito a sad smile. "I can understand your position a bit, but did you ever question the situation? I find it a bit suspicious that Rin had become a Jinchūriki of the Sanbi when Yagura was already the Sanbi Jinchūriki. After all, Yagura was a bit elder to you guys and he has been a Jinchūriki since he was barely one-year-old. Before I killed him, I used ninshu to connect to him and read his memories. I can assure you that it was a setup, but by an outside party, not Kiri."

Obito looked startled at the information. That was not something he was privy to. He was wondering why Zetsu didn't say anything about it, but decided that Zetsu may not have gathered such detailed information on Yagura. Then his eye hardened in contempt at the realization that Rin had died for nothing.

"You should know that Kakashi has never been the same. He actually imitates your tendencies of lying and being late in your memory. He spends an inordinate amount of time staring at your name, Rin's name and my parent's names, all the while moping about in depression. Don't judge Kakashi to harshly for killing Rin. No one curses the events more than him."

Obito narrowed his eye in annoyance and was about to comment when Naruto continued, "I am sure that if it was Sakura-chan and I in that position, I would have done the same as Kakashi. Sakura-chan wouldn't have wanted herself to be the reason Konoha was harmed. I can guarantee that Rin would have wanted the same thing and in fact, followed what she thought was the best course of action. I wouldn't be surprised if she had jumped in front of Kakashi's jutsu that killed her."

Obito nodded with a thoughtful expression behind his orange spiral mask. "I see. Now that I think about it, Rin was a loyal kunoichi of Konoha and would have thought sacrificing herself would have been better that being the cause of Konoha's downfall. Unfortunately, that doesn't dismiss the sting of her death."

"I agree but we should honour their sacrifices and try to make sure that their sacrifices weren't in vain. Not undo what they sacrificed to protect!" Naruto said with a cold accusing tone causing Obito to shiver in fear. "I know that you lied to me Obito, about Madara. The only reason I am letting you go is due to you being my father's student. I hope you wake up and realize that your path will only lead to pain for everyone, including yourself."

Obito seethed in rage at Naruto's words but as he was about to comment, he saw Naruto vanish into thin air again. Focusing his senses and his sharingan, Obito tried to see if Naruto had put him under a genjutsu but to his surprise, he found himself completely free of such influences.

Giving off a dark chuckle, Obito glared at the place Naruto recently occupied and commented, "How would you know Naruto? You haven't seen the truth of the world yet. Mark my words, your time in the world is numbered. I will come after you. Project Tsuki no Me is the only path to salvation!"

With that said, Obito turned towards the place Naruto had reappeared before the very space around him swirled inwards towards his chest as he was absorbed into the vortex.

* * *

Naruto reappeared in front of his group, all of whom had shocked expressions on their faces. None of them could believe that Naruto had killed Yagura so easily while in full Bijū mode, and after saying that he would try and save the Sanbi Jinchūriki. Only Sakura was not surprised by the set of events.

"You were supposed to try and save Yagura, baka! Why the hell did you kill him?"

"Ahhh… Because I sensed that some part of his actions were his own." Naruto said subtly motioning to a small vortex beside the group. Sakura raised an eyebrow but decided not to comment. "Besides, I also found out who was controlling Yagura and Isobu."

Everyone raised an eyebrow, or in Sakura's case, raised an eyebrow in surprise. Mei asked, "Who was the mastermind?"

"A supposed dead traitor of Konoha by the name of Uchiha Madara, or so he claims. I can assure you that he is an Uchiha, though I can't say if he is truly Madara or another rogue Uchiha masquerading as him." Naruto said with a frown. Sakura narrowed her eyes at what Naruto was saying. This was not part of the plan they concocted with Kurama. Naruto was going off script, just like he does during fights.

"So it is Uchiha Itachi? But that can't be right. Yagura has been under control for much longer than Itachi has been a nukenin!" Aō stated with confusion.

"I can assure you that it wasn't Itachi. After all, I only sensed a single sharingan from him. Last reports state that Itachi still has two sharingan. Besides the pattern of the sharingan was different from the records of Itachi's Mangekyō. Whoever he is, he has either been declared dead, or he was never a registered Konoha Shinobi."

Aō, Mei and Jiraiya shared a look before nodding in understanding. This was important information. Jiraiya spoke up, "This is very concerning. Very few Uchiha have the ability to control to a Bijū and its Jinchūriki. None other than Madara has been known to succeed. Not even the prodigious Uchiha Itachi. He doesn't have the will power to subvert the will of a Bijū to such a degree. Maybe he can supress a Bijū for a time, but that's the limit of his abilities."

Mei, Chojuro and Aō nodded as Naruto spoke up, "Anyways, Mei, you and Jiraiya march forward to Kiri with our combined forces and take over. If anyone resists, though I don't think any would, just tell them that its either submit or be regretfully terminated. I am sure that many of the protests will vanish at that declaration. Let them know that Yagura and his treacherous councillors are dead. Jiraiya, you take control of my teams and escort Mei to Kiri."

"What about you Naruto?"

Turning to his pink haired teammate, Naruto grinned and said, "I have an appointment with Mitsunari! I should be back by tomorrow evening with Kakashi. Jiraiya, make sure that out teams are ready to leave on the dawn of the third day from tomorrow."

Jiraiya nodded and reached out a hand to catch the scroll Naruto threw at him. Opening it, Jiraiya saw that it was an official declaration of temporary transfer of command to him from Naruto. Nodding in satisfaction, Jiraiya said, "Feels like old times. Your father used to do the same from time to time."

"Then I will be off! Good luck with the organization of the new regime!" Naruto said with a foxy grin before he was engulfed in a golden chakra cloak. In a flash of yellow, Naruto had already vanished from sight.

"Did he just teleport out of here with the Hiraishin?" Aō asked with an awed tone causing Sakura to giggle and comment, "Not really. He just ran away. I am sure that he can easily rival the Yondaime Raikage in pure speed while using the Kyūbi's chakra."

Everyone, including Jiraiya and Neko stared owlishly at the pink haired girl before Jiraiya finally snapped out of the funk and said, "Alright people, we have a lot to do. Let's head back to camp. We have a possibly hostile shinobi village to take over!"

* * *

It had been nearly an hour since Naruto had left when the sight of Mitsunari's castle came into view. All around the high walls of castle, patrols of female samurai archers and male samurai swordsmen were seen keeping a strict vigil. As he approached the massive gates of the castle, an arrow flew near him. A warning shot. With a grin, Naruto plucked the still flying arrow out of the air and came to a stop in front of the gate.

Twirling the arrow in between his fingers, Naruto called out, "I hope you have a good reason for shooting this at me. I wander what Mitsunari will say about this transgression against my clan!"

"Shut your mouth mongrel! How dare you utter Daimyō-sama's given name? Answer now, or be killed for your insolence!" A female Samurai called out wearing a slightly more ornate armour than the rest signifying her being a squad captain.

"HOTARU! HOW DARE YOU INSULT NARUTO-SAMA? WHO GAVE YOU THE PERMISSION TO SHOOT YOUR MOUTH AGAIN?" An angry voice shouted out behind her causing the woman to quake in fear.

Turning around and bowing low, Hotaru started stammering out apologies. "Please forgive me Shiki-sama! I didn't realize that he was Uzumaki-sama. I though he was one of Yagura's men!"

"Are you blind Hotaru! Do you not see the specialized Hitai-ate on his head, the Uzu hitai-ate tied on his upper right arm and the Konoha hitai-ate around his waist! Besides, aa description of Naruto-sama along with a picture was supplied by Kakashi-san to all guards. Are you telling me that you have not checked the memos? You have shamed my family by your disgraceful actions!"

"No harm done Shiki-san. I find it quite reassuring that Hotaru-san is so fanatically loyal. I could sense her emotions. You won't find a more loyal retainer if you tried." Shiki nodded as Naruto jumped up to the wall and then turned to Hotaru and said, "And you should learn to curb your impulsive tendencies. I may not take offence, but others may not be so lenient. You could easily start an international incident, and lose your life and maybe even condemn your family to the wrath of the one you insulted."

"I understand Uzumaki-sama. I will strive to improve myself! Thank you for not taking offense at my insolence!" Hotaru said kneeling on the floor and bowing her head. Naruto just waved it off and turned to Shiki as the golden cloak of chakra receded back into his body.

"If you are here Naruto-sama, can I conclude that the war is over?" Shiki asked with a hopeful tone. Naruto smiled and nodded before motioning of Shiki to lead the way. With a bow, Shiki turned and walked into the castle with Naruto following behind. All around them, the Samurai were bowing.

* * *

"No!" Naruto stated quietly but forcefully causing Mitsunari to flinch.

Taking a shaking breath, Mitsunari asked, "Then can I assume that Uzu has not forgiven our family's pervious transgression against yours? Is that why decline our offer of peace?"

"Not at all. I don't let the past rule the present. As to why I won't accept your offer, I find it barbaric. Forcing your own daughter into what is just glorified slavery is something I detest." Naruto said with a venomous tone causing Mitsunari to flinch.

"Naruto-sama, if I may?" Shiki asked with a tense tone and waited as Naruto stared at him for a moment before nodding for Shiki to continue. Letting out a relieved sigh Shiki said, "Much like you, I also detest making women into concubines. While I will contest my father's decision, as I love my sister very much and would love to see her married off than be a concubine, but due my family's past indiscretions against yours, we didn't have the courage to offer her hand in marriage to you. Please forgive our weakness!"

As Shiki bowed to Naruto, the blonde haired Jinchūriki laughed and said, "If you had offered her hand in marriage instead of as a concubine, I would have been honoured to accept it, but only if your sister was amiable. I will not accept her if her heart isn't in it."

"Thank you Naruto-sama. Please forgive my insolence. Also I humbly offer my daughters hand in marriage to you, if she is amiable."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Mitsunari for a moment causing the older Daimyō to nervously twitch in his seat. After a few moments Naruto nodded, "I wish to speak with your daughter…"

"As you wish Naruto-sama!" Mitsunari said as Shiki stood up and left in a hurry. As the two Daimyō waited, they sipped on the tea a maid had handed them. After a few minutes Shiki walked into the room with a girl wearing light formfitting leather armour reinforced with strips of metal with fine fūinjutsu shiki engraved into them. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto stared at the seals for a few moments before turning to Mitsunari with an unimpressed look.

"You are using Uzumaki reinforcement seals? Do you have permission to use them?" Mitsunari, Shiki and the girl looked startled at the sudden heavy presence Naruto was emanating, but before anyone could comment, Naruto said, "Anyways, I will let it slide as this seal isn't something we monopolize on. I would hope that the crafter isn't teaching Uzumaki seals without my clan's permission?"

Shiki let out a soft sigh of relief and said, "You have nothing to fear on that front Naruto-sama. The crafter is an old woman. While he was young, he was honoured to be taught by a Uzumaki seal master. I will have her come meet you with all the licenses your clan had issued her."

Naruto nodded and turned his attention back to the girl. She was a couple of years older than him with soft wavy brown hair falling to her mid back. She had pale green eyes, the colour of fresh leaves. Her skin was slightly tanned and from the calluses on her hands, Naruto deduced that the girl trained hard with the Naginata strapped to her back. She had a heart shaped face with soft features, giving her a kind yet stern look. Focusing his emotions sensing abilities he got from Kurama, Naruto felt the slight apprehension and happiness from her along with a bit of admiration directed towards her brother and a bit of loathing towards her father.

Standing up, Naruto bowed slightly before saying, "It is an honour to be in the presence of a beautiful warrior as you, milady! I am Uzumaki Naruto, at your service."

Nervously smiling, the girl returned the bow with a deeper one and said, "No I am honoured to be in your presence Naruto-sama. I am Otohime."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful flower, though I know that you have quite the thorns. I hope that I don't get pricked. Is your singing voice as beautiful as your name?" Naruto said with a calming smile causing the girl to blush in embarrassment. Naruto could feel her happiness increase at his comments.

"Thank you for the compliments Naruto-sama."

"Please call me Naruto, I don't like my friends call me such. May I consider you my friend?" Naruto said causing the girls apprehension to nearly disappear.

"Of course Naruto-kun! Please call me Hisui. All my friends call me that."

Naruto nodded with a smile before saying, "Unfortunately, this meeting isn't a casual one. I am sure that you already know of your father's intentions?" Otohime nodded, her apprehension increasing. "I am not interested in such barbaric customs. In return, your brother plucked up the courage to subtly hint of changing the intentions to a marriage. I accepted with the condition that we will be wed only if you are amiable. Please, don't feel pressured. The decision must be your own. I promise you that no one will force you."

At that Mitsunari felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt like the Shinigami had placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I plan to leave for Kiri tomorrow after lunch. I leave you until then to come up with a decision. Don't fear to consider rejecting me. I would prefer that you accept wholeheartedly. Even if you decline, Mizu will not suffer the consequences. Besides, we are friends now. I always protect my friends."

Everyone waited for the girl to respond to the revelation, with only Naruto being privy to her thoughts by virtue of sensing her emotions. At first, she felt surprised but that slowly changed to contemplation before a seed of determination sprouted into a massive tree. Most of all, her happiness was nearly blinding as was her admiration towards him. Nodding to herself, Otohime said, "I don't need more time Naruto-kun. I believe that I won't have a better suitor than you. I have heard rumours of your personality, the kindness and righteousness. Now I have confirmation of them. I will be honoured to be one of your wives. Besides I am not selfish enough to not do as much as I can for my people."

Naruto nodded with a smile. "Then I am sure that you would like to accompany me back to Konoha. Please have your servants seal away whatever you wish to take with you. As I said, we will be leaving tomorrow after lunch."

"As you wish Naruto-kun. But before I leave, can we meet this evening for dinner at my private dining room. I wish get more familiar with the real you, not the rumours that abound on the winds." Otohime said with smile.

"As you wish Hisui-chan. I will meet you for dinner this evening. Please take this sealing scroll. It is modified to hold seven times more than standard ones. I am sure that it will be of great use to you." Naruto said handing over a storage scroll with the Uzumaki clan symbol on the sides. Taking the scroll with a smile, Otohime bowed to her brother and Naruto before leaving.

* * *

As evening was approaching, the guards Mei had posted at the Gates of Kiri were lazing about in the sudden peace that they were enjoying. As they lazily played cards, one of the guards turned towards the road. Suddenly, the guard dropped the cards and rushed towards the window of the hut and picked up a spyglass. Peering through the spyglass, the man saw that a large convoy was coming with the symbol of the Mizu Daimyō being gaily displayed.

Placing the spyglass on its holder, the man turned towards his companion and stuttered out, "Get news to Mei-sama, the Daimyō approaches with his entourage. Naruto-sama is probably with him!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Tsuki no Me = Eye of the Moon_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Bakudō: Hyaku Yari = Way of Binding: Hundred Spears_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Please remember to leave Reviews. The more Reviews I get, the faster I will publish another chapter, though I will try and keep it on a monthly schedule.**_

 _ **Also, thank you all for the well wishes.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	19. Chapter 18 - Hero's Return

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 18 – Hero's Return**

Mei, Chojuro, Aō, Mei's council elders, Jiraiya, Gai, Zabuza and Sakura were at the main gate of Kiri, waiting for Naruto, Kakashi and the Mizu Daimyō's entourage. It had been less than five minutes since the guards caught sight of them, so everyone expected the group to arrive in less than three.

As they waited, Jiraiya was writing something down in a notepad, all the while giggling and taking sidelong glances at Mei from time to time, causing Sakura, Mei and Chojuro to become irritated. As Naruto's group neared the gate, Sakura finally had enough of Jiraiya's perversity and launched a super powered punch into the man's gut.

Luckily for the man, his instincts, honed in the fires of war saved him from a short hospital trip. Deciding that an annoyed Sakura was a dangerous one, Jiraiya placed his notebook into his equipment pouch and focused on the present situation. Just in time as well, because it was at this time that the Daimyō's entourage finally reached the gates.

"Yo!" Kakashi said walking by reading his Icha Icha. Everyone but Gai ignored the masked Jōnin. The taijutsu specialist lamented about Kakashi's hip attitude and how it was improper.

"Enough Gai!" Naruto said causing Gai to straighten his back and calm down. "Alright everyone, Mitsunari-san, accompanied by his son and daughter, is here to crown you, Mei, as the Godaime Mizukage. The ceremony will be held tomorrow morning, at which time some important announcements will be made as well. Mei, Jiraiya, can you two make all the preparations by then?"

Mei and Jiraiya shared a look. Turning back to Naruto, Mei said, "We should be able to. If Jiraiya-sama will be willing to help with the sealing that need to be done, we can have it all prepared by dawn."

"Don't worry Naruto, I will make sure that everything is ready by tomorrow noon."

Naruto nodded as Mitsunari, Shiki and Otohime stepped out of their palanquins and approached the group with Otohime coming to stand beside Naruto. What caught Sakura's attention was that Otohime was not dressed like a princess. Instead, she was wearing a short grey battle kimono with light leather armour fitted with metal strips engraved with seals. The most catching aspects about the girl's attire was the red naginata with the black blade strapped to her back and the jade necklace proudly worn on her breast with the Uzumaki Clan sigil engraved on it. The same design necklace Hinata started wearing after her engagement with Naruto became public. With a raised eyebrow, Sakura subtly gestured at Otohime causing Naruto to nod. Sakura frowned as she nodded in return.

"Zabuza, I have a job for you. Please come visit me this evening in my room."

"As you wish Naruto-sama!" Zabuza said with a bow while ignoring Mitsunari standing right behind Naruto. Zabuza straightened up and nodded to Shiki before bowing to Otohime causing some of the Kiri shinobi to stare at the scene in wonder. Zabuza, bowing to a Mizu royal.

"Mei-san, you can go. Please don't bother preparing quarters for Naruto-sama. He shall be staying with us." Shiki said causing Mei to nod while Aō just frowned at the suspicious behaviour of the Mizu Daimyō.

"Of course, Shiki-sama."

"Then get going. You have much work to do. I am sure that I can easily escort Mitsunari-san and his family back to their estate here. Kakashi, get some rest. You're on leave until it's time to return. You two Gai."

"Kakashi-san, you have quarters with Gai-san. I am sure that he can show you." Mei called out with a smile. Kakashi paled a little but nodded before turning to Gai and gesturing for the spandex clad Jōnin to lead the way.

As the two Jōnin left, Naruto turned to Sakura and said, "If you don't have any pressing duties, please come with me. We need to discuss somethings."

Sakura nodded causing Naruto to say, "Good. This is Otohime-chan. Hisui-chan, this is my closest friend, Haruno Sakura-chan!"

"An honour to meet you Hime-sama!" Sakura said with a bow. Otohime nodded and said, "The pleasure is mine. I hope that we can be friends."

"Of course! Any friend of Naruto's is my friend!" Sakura said with a smile. With that said, Naruto turned to everyone and said, "We better get going. I can still feel minor malicious presences here. It is best Mitsunari and his family moves out of harm's way."

Mei nodded and barked an order causing the Kiri ninja around her to disperse. Bowing to Naruto and the Mizu Daimyō, Mei turned and headed towards the Kage tower and her office with Aō and Chojuro. Beside her, Jiraiya nodded to Naruto and vanished in swirl of leaves.

"You can go now Zabuza." Naruto said causing Zabuza to shake his head.

"Can't do that Naruto-sama. Protocol dictates that you have at least one guard while are in foreign lands outside of combat. Moka-sama will have by head if I don't follow her explicit orders."

Naruto sighed in defeat before nodding, "Alright, you can come, but after we enter the estate, you are free to go."

"There are some protocols to follow Naruto. You may be a formidable shinobi, but there are certain expectations from your retainers that need to be met. Why do you think the Kage's take bodyguards with them? None of them are the run-of-the-mill shinobi." Sakura said causing Naruto to glower in annoyance.

"I agree with Sakura-san. You need to stop thinking that you are a normal shinobi. You are a Daimyō as well, and with that position, certain etiquettes and protocols that need to be followed. Even if you don't like it, you have to suck it up and accept the situation. Besides, there is a show of power with who is your guards, how they are dressed, how they carry themselves. All of it are shows of power and grandeur. It's all very important in Daimyō level politics. I realize that you understand Kage politics, but military and civilian politics are completely different, though they tend to get mixed up at certain point. Till now, you have handled the Daimyō politics well, but let me help from now on. I am sure that your already stellar skills in handling Daimyō politics will reach astronomical levels."

Naruto nodded with a defeated look and turned towards Zabuza to see a glint of amusement in his eyes. Grunting, Naruto said, "If you both are done, maybe we should get into a more private setting! Shiki-san, please guide me as I don't know the way."

Shiki nodded and ordered his guards to lead the way to the compound. As the group walked after the guard, Sakura and Otohime fell a bit back and started conversing with each other, intent on getting to know each other a little better.

* * *

Sakura had joined Naruto and Otohime for dinner where they were having a traditional Kiri dish made from a particularly delicious fish that was native to the seas around Mizu. Along with that, there was a platter of pork that was created to the specifications of a famous Uzumaki recipe, though it was not as spicy as the Uzumaki used to make it.

"So, Sakura-san, how long have you been a ninja? From the rumours, I expect that it will be some time already, though you look barely thirteen." Otohime asked with a curious tone.

Sakura shook her head and said, "I graduated with Naruto five months ago. The only reason I am this strong is because of the secret training I used to do with Naruto by sneaking out of the village."

Otohime looked surprised at that before turning to Naruto for confirmation. Naruto nodded as he chewed on a piece of pork. Otohime smiled and turned back to Sakura. "I am curious. They say that you are a very good Iryōnin. The likes of which none has seen before. How would you rank your skill?"

Sakura shrugged as she took a sip of her green tea before saying, "I am not really that great yet. I can assure you that Tsunade-sama would have me beat in healing skills."

"Don't sell yourself short Sakura-chan. I am sure that you already rival Tsunade-bāchan's skills in Iryōjutsu. Besides you have surpassed her in raw brute strength." Naruto said annoying Sakura a bit, though her face took on a faint pink tinge from the complement. An event, that didn't escape Otohime's notice.

"How long have you two know each other?"

"Well, we first met when we were five years old. Naruto always had a very noble character. I was being bullied because of my large forehead. He came in and forced the bullies away and then cheered me up. After that we again met when we enrolled in the academy when we were nine. Though we used to bump into each other during the intervening years, we never got acquainted better."

"So, how did you become friends?"

"Well, that's a difficult question. At first, I used to get annoyed at his clownish act. But one day, I saw him sneaking out of the village and followed him. I didn't know what he was doing and because of his pranks, I wanted to make sure that he wasn't up to mischief again. To tell you the truth, I was amazed when I saw his true self. He was training hard, all by himself."

"She confronted me and I told her what she needed to hear." Naruto interrupted with a serious expression.

"And what was the think Sakura-san needed to hear?" Otohime asked causing Sakura to chuckle and say, "That in the shinobi world, the one with the most hidden cards is the one who will live. After that, I convinced Naruto to help with my training, though, he also put me down for being a fan girl. I must admit, it had hurt at that time, but I am happy that I changed. I don't think I would have survived if I didn't. Instead I would have only dragged my team down with me and maybe got them killed as well."

"So, you two have been friends since then?"

"You can say that. It should be nearing four years now. We started becoming friends since we started training together." Sakura said with a smile. "You know, during our academy days, Naruto used to wear a kill-me-orange jumpsuit and used to prank the whole of Konoha. Even now all of Konoha fears him, even the Anbu."

"You can't be serious?" Otohime asked with shock.

Sakura chuckled and said, "Of course. He has the unofficial tile of 'Demon Prankster from Hell' among the shinobi. Though he has reigned in his pranks since his heritage came out. Instead, he uses his devious mind to manipulate the situations to his advantage. Who knew that pranks could be so formidable on the field."

"What do you mean?"

"You will come to understand in time. Just know this. When you spar with him, never let your guard down. He will humiliate you the first chance he gets and that too with prank techniques!"

Otohime blinked her eyes before turning to stare at a sheepish Naruto. "What? It's either pranks or techniques that would cause grievous harm. What would you have me to do? Kill?"

Otohime shook her head and said, "Well there goes my plan to train with you. I heard that you have a bō staff. I wanted to test out my bukijutsu skills against yours."

* * *

Naruto and his group of Uzu and Konoha shinobi were at the gates of Kiri, intending on leaving for Konoha. With them was Otohime with a large scroll on her back and Shiki. Normally a princess like Otohime would have a whole convoy of people and carriages with her, but upon her and Naruto's insistence, it was only the princess with a large scroll strapped to her back. Beside her, Shiki was wearing an expensive travelling kimono, looking a bit ill-at-ease.

"Mei, in a few days' time, the Rokubi Jinchūriki, Utakata will be coming by. I was able to convince him to re-join Kiri, but he demanded certain conditions be met. Just accept the conditions. It is better to have a Jinchūriki of Utakata's skills with you than against you."

Mei looked surprised but nodded, "As you wish Naruto-sama, but are you sure that we can trust him. He deserted his post in the past."

"Utakata is someone who prefers peace over war. To maintain the peace, he will do whatever it takes. Besides the reason he left was a misunderstanding. We shared memories. It is something we Jinchūriki can do. I saw the misunderstanding. His sensei had tried to free him from the burden of being the Rokubi Jinchūriki. Utakata took it the wrong way, especially since his sensei didn't know that separating a Jinchūriki from their Bijū ends with the death of the Jinchūriki. Anyway, I was able to make him realize the misunderstanding, so he agreed to re-join. Just make sure to accommodate his conditions."

"I thank you for your help Naruto-sama! I will strive to help Utakata any way I can."

"Make sure you do. Alright everyone, gather around." Naruto commanded causing his group to come close. Tapping everyone on the shoulder, each of them were covered in a cloak of bubbling red chakra. Before anyone could blink, they all suddenly found themselves in the forests surrounding Konoha. To be specific, a clearing right off the main road and completely visible from the gates.

* * *

"I still can't believe that the Hiraishin can be used like that!" Kakashi mumbled causing Naruto to groan.

"Give it a rest Kakashi! I was only able to do it because I had anchored my chakra with the lot of you using the Bijū cloak. Now let's head to the Hokage Mansion."

"Don't you mean the Hokage Tower?" Neko asked only for Sakura to comment, "Sensor!"

Neko coughed in embarrassment as the group headed to the Hokage Mansion. On their way, they were met by Konohamaru doing D-Ranks with Suiren and Karin as his temporary teammates and Dōmon acting as their Jōnin Sensei.

"Naruto-sama! Welcome back! I hope that you had a good trip?"

"Of course. A perfect trip. Everything went as planned. Well, mostly everything. How are you three doing with the D-Ranks?"

"I hate you Shisho!" Konohamaru grumbled before saying, "You had to recommend an early graduation for me, didn't you!"

"Maa Maa Konohamaru, the faster you finish the required D-Ranks, the faster you are able to get a higher ranked mission, isn't that right everyone?" Kakashi teased causing Konohamaru to glare for a moment. Suddenly, Kakashi's book caught flames as a small explosion occurred startling everyone.

As soon as the explosion sounded, the whole group was surrounded by Anbu and the newly formed Police Force. The Anbu commander Ryū was present as well. Naruto turned his head and saw that they were standing in front of the Anbu HQ.

Ryū stepped forward and asked, "What happened here Naruto-sama?"

"Don't really understand it, but if I am not wrong, then Konohamaru accidentally caused an explosion to destroy Kakashi's precious Icha Icha by just glaring at him." Naruto said with a slight smirk.

"That's impossible! Did you trap the book Naruto?" Jiraiya asked with a peeved tone.

"Again? This is the third time this happened." Ryū said turning to Konohamaru with an accusing glare. "Did you try and kill Kakashi, like you tried with Kagedora and then Hanabi?"

"And I am telling you, I don't understand what is happening!" Konohamaru exclaimed causing Naruto to grin.

"I know what happened Konohamaru. I must say, psychic fire bending. Kurama calls it combustion bending. Anyway, come by the compound this evening. I will help you train with it. I started doing it a couple of months ago, though I found that it gives me a headache from all the concentrating. Till then, don't keep your focus on something for too long or with too much intensity. It will set the ability off."

Everyone was stunned at the revelation. Many had seen Naruto control the air psychically just like he does with blood, but fire was something new. Before anyone could comment, Naruto continued, "We need to be off. Konohamaru, remember what I said. The ability you have is very dangerous. Don't lose control of your anger!"

With that said, Naruto turned to the Root Team and said, "Captain, follow a member of the Police Force to the Police HQ. From this day forth, you are to report to the Police Force Commander! Make sure to hand in the mission report to me by this evening! Dismissed!"

The Root Team nodded before following one of the Police Force members. Turning to the gathered Anbu, Naruto barked out, "Why the hell are you lot wasting your time? Get to work!"

The Anbu nodded before rushing back to their posts. The Commander being the last to leave. With everyone gone, Naruto began walking causing his Kiri Team along with Otohime and Shiki to follow at a brisk pace.

* * *

"… and with that, I finish my report!" Naruto said to the Hokage and Fire Daimyō. Both of the leaders were sitting behind a desk looking over the reports Naruto and those under his command had handed them.

"Well done all of you. While I can't order you Uzu Shinobi, I recommend that you along with your Konoha comrades take a week of R&R. All of you deserve it!"

But before you all leave, I have some announcements to make. "Haruno Sakura, step forward!"

Sakura stepped forward and kneeled down in front of the Hokage and the Fire Daimyō and waited. Hiruzen smiled and said, "Your commander along with various other high ranking shinobi in your team and from Kiri has recommended you for a promotion. After reviewing the reports, I and Diamyō-dono have decided to grant you the rank of Tokubetsu Jōnin with a specialization in battle field healing and heavy assault. Congratulations Sakura-chan!"

Sakura bowed her head before standing up and taking the scroll Hiruzen handed her. Unfurling it, she saw two storage seals. Activating the smaller one, she got a folder containing the paperwork related to her new rank along with a clearance level upgrade. Taking out the new ID, Sakura changed her previous one with it before handing the old one to the Hokage. Afterwards, she resealed the folder and unsealed her vest. Quickly donning the vest, Sakura turned to her leaders and said, "Thank you Hokage-sama, Daimyō-sama!"

After Sakura had stepped back into line, Hiruzen declared, "Neko, Tora, step forward!"

The two Anbu stepped forward, kneeled down and waited for Hiruzen to continue. "Remove your masks!"

After both had removed their masks, Hiruzen continued, "Due to your exemplary service during your career and particular the Kiri Mission, we have decided that you both be honoured by the Spirit of the Forest Medal, as recommended by your Team Leader during the Kiri Mission. The ceremony will be held after the Chunin Exams, when Naruto will take over as Hokage!"

Everyone was shocked at the revelation. None of them had realized that Naruto was to be their new Hokage as he already had much responsibility. Seeing the shocked looks, Hiruzen continued, "For the last three months, all major decisions were taken under Naruto's purview. Keep this secret until the official declaration! Now dismissed!"

Everyone bowed and started leaving the room. After sometime, only Naruto, Sakura, Zabuza, Jiraiya, Otohime and Shiki were left.

"Hideyoshi-jiji, Hokage-jiji! It seems that I have found myself another bride!" Naruto said with a foxy grin causing the two old men to sigh.

"We realized that as soon as we saw Otohime-chan wearing the Uzumaki Protection Amulet. How did this come to be?" Hideyoshi asked only for Shiki to speak, "May I be allowed to recite the tale Hideyoshi-sama?"

Hideyoshi nodded before turning to Naruto and saying, "Naruto-kun, you and Sakura-chan show young Otohime-chan around our beautiful village. It seems that Shiki-san's tale will be a long one, so let's not bore your new fiancée with politics. Shiki-san, you must join us for lunch!"

"As you wish jiji! Zabuza, stay here and then escort Shiki-san to the Compound. Natsumi will key him in!"

"As you wish Naruto-sama!" Zabuza said before walking out of the room and jumping up into the rafters. Seeing an Anbu sitting on the same rafter, Zabuza nodded before taking out a book and starting to read it.

"Are you two free to come by for dinner tonight?" Naruto called over his shoulder as he stood at the door to the room.

"You always invite us. Let me invite you to dinner this time!" Hideyoshi said with a smile. "Bring Hinata-chan, Otohime-chan, Tsunade-chan, Moka-san with you. And you Sakura-chan, please come as well. Kanna-chan has recently become very interested in your exploits. I am sure that she would love to hear about everything first hand."

"It would be an honour Daimyō-sama!" Sakura said with a bit of nervousness. Every time she had dinner with the Daimyō was at Naruto's. This was the first time she was invited directly by Hideyoshi.

"And you Jiraiya-kun. If you have time, please come by as well!"

"I will be there Hideyoshi-sama! It isn't every day that Tsunade will agree to have dinner with me!" Jiraiya said with a faint lecherous grin.

Sakura narrowed her eye at Jiraiya's tone but decided to ignore it. Hideyoshi turned to Shiki and said, "I am sure that you have no objection on joining us for dinner as well?"

"None Hideyoshi-sama!"

"Hiruzen, you are going to be there with your grandson, won't you?"

"Of course Hideyoshi-dono. I won't miss it for the world."

"Then what about you Naruto-kun? You haven't answered yet."

"I will be there Jiji. Oh before I forget, make sure that you have free time the day after tomorrow. Hokage-jiji, can I borrow Training Ground 56?"

"What for?" Hiruzen asked with Hideyoshi nodding in agreement.

"For the spar of course. The spar between Sakura and Tsunade-bāchan!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock before he stuttered out, "Are you sure that it is wise to have those two behemoths spar within Konoha?" Jiraiya suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. Turing to the source of the killing intent, he saw the pink haired medic giving him a death glare.

"I will be sure to inform Tsunade-sama that you called her and me behemoths. I am sure that she will be thrilled!"

Jiraiya started to stammer in fear when Naruto said, "I will work with Moka-obasama and Natsumi-chan to cover the whole training ground in a specialized sealing barrier. Everything within will be out of phase with the universe, so no attack will escape. The most devastation will be that the whole training ground will have some craters and the trees would be uprooted."

Seeing Naruto's nonchalant expression Hideyoshi and Hiruzen just sighed again. Leave it to Naruto to downplay complete demolition of one of the S-Ranked Training Grounds. Grounds that are reinforced with many seals to be extremely durable.

* * *

"Sakura, you should meet up with your parents. They haven't seen you in a while. I am sure that they would love to hear the good news!" Naruto said with a smile.

"Hell no. I am not leaving you alone with Otohime-sama! The first thing you will do is try and convert her to into a Ramen addict! No, I am staying. Besides, we are three days early. A couple of hours won't kill my parents!"

Seeing the determined look on Sakura's face Naruto grinned and said with a teasing tone, "Are you jealous? Don't worry, I am sure that Hisui-chan won't take advantage of me, will you my dear?"

Hisui played along with a teasing smile, "If you want, you still have a chance Sakura-chan to join. What do you say?"

Sakura's face took on pink tinge as she spluttered out, "I don't like Naruto-baka like that!"

Hisui and Naruto chuckled causing the pink haired girl to mock glare at her two companions and say, "Unbelievable! Now there are two of them!" Sakura pouted and turned her head away, though within the deep recesses of her mind, Hisui's words struck a chord.

"Sakura, can you please pick up Sasuke and come to the Golden Leaf. We will be having lunch there."

Seeing the Naruto was serious, Sakura nodded and said, "Alright. He is at his apartment, right?"

Naruto nodded before saying, "That's right, but on second thought, get everyone from the Rookie Nine and their you can find along with their sensei. I will pick up Hinata-chan, Anko, Iruka-sensei, Yūgao and Tenzō."

Sakura nodded before vanishing in a shunshin. At the same time, Naruto created three clones and had them disperse to gather everyone. Turning to Hisui, Naruto offered her his arm and said, "Let me escort you to meet my other fiancée."

Hisui nodded with a smile as she wrapped her arm with Naruto's before both vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

The guards standing at the entrance of the Hyūga were surprised when Naruto and Otohime appeared in a swirl of leaves, but before either could comment, one of the guards rushed into the compound while the other bowed to Naruto and said, "Welcome back Naruto-sama. Hiashi-sama is in his study. Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama are meditating in Hitomi-sama's personal garden."

Otohime raised an eyebrow at both guards' reactions but decided to not comment. Naruto nodded and said, "Thank you Hyūga-san, but can you direct me towards the garden. I and my companion wish to meet up with Hinata-chan."

"Of course Naruto-sama! Please take a right at the first branch path from the main road. Follow it for three intersections before taking a left at the fourth. At the end of that path is the garden." Naruto nodded before walking in with Hisui still clinging to his arm.

As the couple walked through the Hyūga estate, a sudden shout drew their attention. Turning around, Naruto and Hisui saw Hiashi rushing after them with Neji at his heels. "Good afternoon Hiashi-dono. A pleasant day, isn't it?"

Hiashi came to a stop in front of the couple and said, "That it is Naruto-sama. I am pleased that I caught you before you left. I was just taking Neji's report of the Kiri Mission and wished to congratulate you on a successful first mission as a team leader. We heard about your wonderful exploits. Also, please extend my congratulations to Haruno-san. Neji just finished reporting of her promotion."

"I will be sure to let her know. Now, I am sure that Neji has told you that the Mizu Hime and the Crown Prince, her brother, has travelled back with us. Let me introduce, Otohime-chan. Hisui-chan, this is Hyūga Hiashi, the Clan Head of the noble Hyūga clan."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Hiashi-san. I am Otohime. I am Naruto-kun's second fiancée. Naruto-kun has told me a great deal about Hinata-chan, so if you don't have any pressing matters to discuss with Naruto-kun, may we be on our way? I am sure that a Clan Head like you have much paperwork to do."

"Of course Hime-sama. My daughters are training in their late mother's personal garden. I am sure the guards have informed you of the directions. Neji, please escort Naruto-sama and Otohime-sama to the garden."

Neji nodded stiffly before walking forward. As the three walked away from Hiashi, the Hyūga clan head called out from behind, "And congratulations on your engagement!"

Naruto waved a hand as Otohime turned back and smiled before walking away. After the three left, Hiashi let out a soft sigh before muttering, "That girl will be a thorn in my plans to win Naruto-sama over."

* * *

"Take a deep breath Hanabi and then release it. As you have fire and earth, you need to both have a strong will and good breathing technique. From what Naruto-kun has explained, earth bending needs you to be firm. With a strong will, you can bend the very earth to your will. As for fire, fire is generated by your breath. Learning to breathe right will allow you to generate greater heat and therefore stronger fire." Hinata said softly as she released a deep breath.

"You don't even have my affinities. How do you know so much about them?" Hanabi questioned as she stood up and stretched her legs.

Hinata stood up as well and said, "I may not have the affinities, but I had asked Naruto-kun to explain how bending the other elements work. He explained it to me in great detail. But if you prefer to be guided by someone who has your affinities, then why not ask Konohamaru-kun for help. He has the exact same affinities and has mastered them to an appreciable degree."

Hanabi glared at her sister and said, "I am not asking that baboon for help! He just graduated because he is Naruto-sama's apprentice and Hokage-sama's grandson!"

"Is that right little firecracker? Do you think I would allow such blatant favouritism? Do you think you can match up with Konohamaru right now?" Naruto asked with a cool tone causing Hanabi to shiver in fear. The last time Naruto used that tone, he forced her to clean all the Hyūga bathrooms by herself. "I have told you before. Arrogance and jealousy will only lead to regret. Konohamaru was inducted into the forces because he is way too skilled to leave in the academy. Also, you may not know this, but Konohamaru had to take a Graduation Test which was of much higher difficulty than the one you will have to take at the end of your fourth year."

"He did?" Hanabi asked with curiosity.

Naruto nodded. "He passed with flying colours. Then he had to pass my test to officially become my apprentice. Let me tell you. Even the famous bell test would be easier than mine. Anyway, Hinata-chan, Hanabi-chan, meet Otohime-chan. She is the only daughter of the Mizu Daimyō and my second fiancée. She is quite the accomplished Samurai as well. Her weapon of choice is her Naginata."

"Hello!" Hanabi said with a bow.

Hinata nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you Otohime-chan."

"Please call me Hisui, Hinata-chan. All my friends do." Otohime said with a smile.

Hinata smiled and nodded as Hisui continued, "Naruto-kun has told me a lot about you. I am looking forward to get to know you better. We are sisters now, aren't we?"

"Of course Hisui-chan. You just arrived this morning, didn't you?"

Hisui nodded as Naruto was helping Hanabi with her stances for fire bending. Every time Hanabi made a mistake, Naruto would gently reposition her arms and legs into the correct posture. "Oh… where are my manners. I am sure that you haven't had lunch yet, so please join my family today."

"Unfortunately Hinata-chan, I can't today. After all Naruto-kun and I came here to invite you and your sister to lunch with us at the Golden Leaf Hotel along with Naruto-kun's other friends and close confidants."

Hinata nodded in understanding before calling out, "Kō-san, please inform father that I and Hanabi-chan will not be having lunch with him today. And send someone with tea. Hisui-chan, please come with me. I am sure that you haven't unpacked yet. You can borrow one of my kimonos. You look about my size. Naruto-kun, please excuse us. Come on Hanabi-chan. Get washed up and ready. We leave in fifteen minutes."

* * *

"Ino stop drinking so much!" Sakura scolded causing the Yamanaka heiress to slam down the jar of sake. Looking up with a teary smile, Ino said, "I can't believe that you got promoted before me! That too directly to Tokubetsu Jōnin! I am so happy for you, Forehead!"

A vein throbbed on Sakura's temple before she slapped Ino upside the head and looked away with a huff, though a small sad smile graced the pinkette's face.

"Sakura, Sasuke, what was it like?" Kiba asked with excitement only for Sasuke to grunt and ask, "What?"

"Fighting in a war!"

"What war?" Sasuke said with a smirk.

Kiba glared before saying, "The Kiri Rebellion! What were you doing over there? Lazing about!"

"You wish. Besides, other than Sakura, none of the Genin saw much action. Team 9 had to deal with a couple of chunnin, while I took down a team of Genin during the initial assault, the very day we got there. After that, it was all camp support and chores."

"But what about the rumours of you guys singlehandedly changing the course of the war!"

"Dog breath, it was Naruto, Sakura, and the two Anbu with us that really changed the course of the war. Not even Jiraiya-sama saw action, and he is a fucking Sannin!"

"Care to elaborate?" Shikamaru asked as Sakura was trying to stop from choking the clingy Yamanaka heiress.

"When we reached there, Yagura's two main forces were already attacking the camp. Naruto sent Sakura to the medical section, with me and Sai as her protection. The Jōnin, Anbu and Team 9 were sent to extract casualties. Jiraiya-sama and Mei-sama were sent to the command centre. It was Naruto who took down the whole army he faced without a single casualty on the enemies' side. He only took out the commanders, not that blame him. From what I heard, each of them were bastards that made Itachi look like a saint."

"I see. Not surprising, especially with Naruto's strength. How long did it really take? For Naruto to subdue the attacking forces, I mean?"

Sasuke thought for a moment before saying, "A little over three minutes."

"Did you get the technique he used?" Shikamaru asked as Kiba to exclaim, "How the hell did he do that?"

"The same thing he did to the Iwa Jinchūriki, the thing he does with air pressure. Just in a more massive scale than in Nami."

"Troublesome. Now I wish I had air as my element. There are so many more strategies with air than with water."

"Water can be much more effective if you use it creatively Shikamaru-kun!" A voice said drawing everyone's attention to the entrance of the room. There stood Hinata, Hanabi, a girl, a litter older than them, that none but those that went to Kiri recognized, Naruto, Iruka, and Anko. All of them, but Naruto, Iruka and Anko were wearing expensive kimonos.

"Oi Yamanaka! Is that Sake from Ta no Kuni?"

Ino nodded with a red face before saying, "You want some Anko-san?"

"Hell yeah!" Anko said as she caught the unopened bottle Ino threw at her only for a sword to slash the bottle in half. Anko stared at the bottle for a few moments turning her head backwards to see who was the culprit only to gulp in fear.

Behind Anko stood Yūgao, still clad in her Anbu uniform. Her mask by her waist. Her katana was unsheathed and gleaming with a bit of sake clinging to it. Then there was the glare, the violet haired woman was sporting. With a sickly sweet tone, Yūgao asked, "Anko-chan, don't you think that it is too early to start drinking?"

Turning to Kurenai and Asuma, the woman asked, "And you two, how can you keep allowing the girl to become drunk. Last time, I can ignore as the sake was particularly potent, but you don't have that excuse this time!"

Asuma gulped as he shivered in fear while Kurenai smiled and said, "What can I say. They are shinobi. We don't have a right to stop them, though I advised against it. Ino-chan just didn't listen. She is just like Anko-chan over there. You know how difficult it is to control her."

Yūgao sighed before reseating her katana before turning to Anko and saying, you get drunk, I lock you out of the apartment. Got it!"

"Hey beautiful, care to share your name?' Kiba asked as he approached Otohime with a slight swagger in his steps. Everyone who knew about Otohime froze in fear. None of them were expecting the set of events that occurred.

As Kiba tried to place his arm around Otohime's shoulder, he suddenly found himself on the ground with the black blade of her Naginata between Kiba's legs. With a sweet tone, Otohime said, "Try that again, and you will find yourself less of a man. Do I make myself clear?"

All the males in the room paled while most of the females were nodding with an approving look on their faces, with Kurenai shaking her head in exasperation.

"Are you stupid Inuzuka! Wait don't answer that. I already know that you are. This the only daughter of the Mizu Daimyō and Naruto-sensei's second fiancée!"

Kiba paled as he turned to stare at Naruto with horror. Naruto sighed before saying, "Kiba. I am not going to take action against you, but make this clear. What you pulled would allow me to ask for your head. If it was another Daimyō, you would have been dead. The way you act will only end up harming you in the long run and bring shame upon your clan, your village, your land, and most of all, your comrades. I can understand that you are attracted to women you find attractive, but the way you approach will only alienate them. This is not an honourable way to act. What will your mother and sister say? Hisui-chan, let him up please, and forgive him. He can be a bit thick sometimes."

"As you wish Naruto-kun. You dog, remember what I said!" Hisui said with a bit of contempt.

Kiba nodded with a fearful look before Kurenai spoke up, "Meet me at your home Kiba. You, me and your mother will be having a long overdue discussion about your behaviour with ladies."

Kiba paled even further as Hinata spoke up, "You really should know better by now Kiba-kun." Turning to the others, the Hyūga heiress said, "I think we came here to celebrate, not for the drama Kiba-kun is always bound to cause, so let's celebrate!"

"Hello everyone. I am Otohime. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I have heard a lot about all of you from Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan! I hope we can get along!"

"Like wise! The names Mitarashi Anko." Anko said with a grin before saying, "Though I must say you are the only princess I have ever met who knew how to handle herself on the battle field!"

"Thank you. My brother is a bit paranoid and had me trained as a Samurai from our best female captain of the royal guards. She taught me everything I know!" Anko nodded with a glint in her eye.

"Don't even think about it Anko. She isn't a shinobi. You would end up traumatizing her like you nearly did to Konohamaru-kun!" Anko pouted at the red-eyed woman's scolding as the woman turned to Otohime and bowed, "I am Yūhi Kurenai. Jōnin Sensei of Team 8 that consists of Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and unfortunately Inuzuka Kiba." Kurenai said as she pointed out her team. Each nodded in agreement with Kurenai's statement and bowed except Hinata.

Otohime nodded as Hinata quipped with a teasing smile, "She is the best Genjutsu user in the world, if you don't consider Uchiha Itachi, but then again, the Uchiha's claim to genjutsu mastery comes from their over rated monkey marbles they call eyes."

"Mind what you say Hinata-dono, the Sharingan allows us minor precognition in battle along with hypnosis, while the Byakugan only allows 360° vision. I would say that I got the better bargain."

"What use is your eyes if you can't see someone coming?" Hanabi quipped before Kakashi and Tenzō called out together, "Enough out of you three. Leave the rivalry to the training fields."

Both looked surprised before sharing a look and grinning, though Kakashi's grin couldn't be seen under his mask.

"The names Sarutobi Asuma, the Jōnin sensei of Team 10 consisting of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji! Nice to meet you. It has been a long time since I have talked face-to-face with a princess. Not since before I retired from the Twelve Guardian Ninja." As Asuma introduced his team, each member nodded though everyone could see that Ino was a bit inebriated from the way she was swaying in her seat.

"Nice to meet you all."

"Hisui-chan, this is Umino Iruka-sensei. Our sensei in the academy and the only one who treated me fairly."

"It is nice to meet you Hime-sama. I hope that you will be happy with my knuckle headed former student." Iruka said with a teasing grin. "Though he has become quite a celebrity since graduating. I hope you and Hinata-chan can keep the fan girls away."

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei. I am sure that we are up for the task, aren't we Hinata-chan?"

"I would like to see those gold diggers get within ten yards of him!" Hinata said with a sudden cruel glint in her eyes causing everyone who knew the girl to realize that, no matter how peace loving and kind the girl was, she was still a shinobi and the future first wife of a Daimyō. Some one that needs to be as strong as well as kind and understanding.

"Congratulations Ototo-kun! You two Sakura-chan!" Ayame said as she walked in wearing an expensive looking kimono. A gift from Naruto on her recent seventeenth birthday.

"What are you congratulating me for Nē-chan?"

"And me?" From what Sakura knew, her promotion wasn't something that was common news yet.

"I do have eyes you know. I can see the standard Jōnin vest you are wearing. I may be a civilian, but I do live in a shinobi village. As for you Naruto-kun, a little white birdy told me that you are now engaged to two beautiful ladies and for being the next Hokage! I can't wait for official announcement." Ayame said with an excited grin.

Sakura jumped up and rushed towards Ayame before shaking the girl and asking, "How the hell did you know already? Hokage-sama declared it just this morning to us and told us to keep it hidden until the official announcement!"

Sakura would have kept shaking Ayame when two fists gently pried her hands off the ramen chef while Sasuke supported the dazed Ayame. With a dizzy head, Ayame stuttered out, "I overheard Moka-sama and Tsunade-sama discussing it a couple of weeks ago when I was making a delivery. I asked for confirmation and they told me. They did tell me to keep it quiet, but I thought that you would have alerted you friends by now."

Naruto sighed before saying, "Alright Sakura, cool down. The information wasn't spread into the high winds. Besides I was about to announce it to you all today at the end. No harm done."

Sakura nodded before turning an apologetic smile to Ayame, "Sorry about that, but after hearing about Danzō, I was a bit paranoid."

"Nē-chan, this is Otohime-chan, my second fiancée and the princess of Mizu. Hisui-chan, this is Ichiraku Ayame, someone I consider family. While I was roaming the streets looking for food, they were the ones who took me in and fed me. Oi, Nē-chan, where's the old man?"

"Dad has a delivery to make at your compound, seven hundred bowls of assorted flavours of ramen. Thanks of bring back the Uzumaki Clan. Our business is booming. We had to hire three new helpers!"

Everyone's jaw dropped at the information. None had ever heard of such a thing. Not even the Akimichi ordered in such quantities the same dish, only different flavoured.

"Thank you for taking care of Naruto-kun. Can I call you Nē-chan as well? You can call me Hisui!"

Ayame nodded with a smile as Otohime continued, "I would love to taste your ramen. Naruto-kun has been praising it ever since I met him."

"Ayame!" Sakura said with a toneless voice causing the elder girl to look at Naruto's personal physician with a fearful expression. "Even if he becomes a god, you won't give him Ramen over his prescribed dietary quota, got it!"

"HAI SAKURA-SAMA!"

Seeing the strange reaction, Otohime asked Hinata, "Sakura-chan doesn't allow Naruto-kun to go outside his diet, does she? Will she be doing that to us as well?"

"Don't know, but I hope not. I don't think I can live without my cinnamon rolls." Hinata whispered back only for Sakura to look at the duo with dead eyes and ask, "You two aren't planning on sneaking him any extra ramen, are you?"

"Not at all!" Hinata quipped as Otohime nodded with relief.

"Good, because if you do, the you two would be the reason he died from unhealthy diet!" Sakura said causing Sasuke and Kiba to snicker at Naruto's predicament.

"Don't you think you are being quite harsh on him? I am sure that eating a few extra bowls won't kill him." Sasuke said reigning in his snickers.

"Oh! Is that so? When did you get your medical certification Sasuke-chan!" Sakura said with a sickly sweet tone causing Naruto, Kakashi and Yūgao to shiver in fear.

Before anyone else could trigger Sakura's wrath, Naruto spoke up, "Anyway, for those of you who don't know, the Heir to the throne of Mizu, Otohime-chan's elder brother is here discussing a possible trade alliance with Hideyoshi-jiji and a military alliance with both Konoha and Uzu. I want all of you to keep an eye out for dissenters."

"Do you think there will be dissenters?"

"There are always dissenters Shika. Just keep an eye out. With Danzō out of the way, there are no one pulling the strings on his civilian puppets. Also Shika, I need you to perform well during the Chunnin exams. All of you need to do well. We will show the world the power of ninshu. No longer will it only be a rumour! This Chunnin exams will be the greatest breakthrough in history. All five great villages will be participating in this one. Both Kage and Daimyō of the five nations will be here. Smaller nations will also come, but from the reports, the Daimyō will come, not representatives like usual."

"Troublesome, as you wish Naruto, but please try not to have me promoted to Chunnin!" Shikamaru said causing Naruto and Sakura to chuckle.

"Alright, you won't become Chunnin, no matter how well you do. Now, there will be a Council meeting tomorrow at dawn. All of you, shinobi, will need to be there, yes, even you Shika." Naruto stated causing quite the round of raised eyebrows.

"Finally, this announcement is only for Anko. We had a run-in with your former master." Naruto said with a grin as Anko's face darkened.

"He escaped again, didn't he?"

"More like we let him escape, with his tail tucked between his leg. It wasn't his time yet."

"What do you mean 'let him escape'? Are you crazy?" Anko shouted only for Naruto raise a palm with a self-satisfied smirk.

"He has been greatly defanged. He has lost right to the Snake Summons. As of now, you are the only known Snake Summoner. I had a talk with the Hakujā Sennin, Koshiro-sempai. At my recommendation, he has decided to let you become the main Snake Summoner and therefore, be trained as a sage. Also, Manda may have been dethroned, so there could be a new Boss Summons. You need to check with them. Congratulatios Anko, you will finally surpass your master if you master Hebi Sennin Transformation."

"Transformation, not mode?" Shikamaru asked with curiosity before Anko could react drawing everyone's attention to the Nara heir.

"That's right. Koshiro-sempai went a different road. Instead of a mode he uses a temporary physical mutation that allows the use of senjutsu chakra. It is difficult to master and far more dangerous to learn than Sennin Mode. I hope you succeed in the attempt. It would be such a shame to lose a kunoichi of your calibre. Also. Come by the compound in three days' time. Natsumi-chan has found a way to completely remove the jūinjutsu Orochimaru applied on you."

Before anyone could react, Naruto found himself on his back with Anko straddling him and raining down kisses on his face while crying out thank you's in between. It took the combined effort of Kurenai, Yūgao, Kakashi and Tenzō to remove the crying woman off Naruto.

Naruto chuckled and said with a teasing smile, "Now I have seen everything. The Snake Mistress of Konoha, crying!"

Anko's tears suddenly dried up as a potent killing intent flooded the room. Two snakes flew towards Naruto while Anko said with a sickly sweet tone, "This never leaves the room."

At first, everyone panicked at the flying snakes, but to their shock, the Snakes curled up around Naruto and bowed their head the larger one greeted Naruto, "Naruto-sama, it is so nice to meet you! Hakujā-sama has been driving all of Ryūchi Cave mad with praise of your abilities after your spar with him."

The other snake turned to Anko and said, "Sorry Anko-chan, but outside of spars, we are forbidden from harming Naruto-sama, even if our venom would only cause him a bit of dizziness at best, that too if we could touch him."

"Yeah. How can we even hope to touch him, if he doesn't let us, when Hakujā-sama failed to do the same."

"Oi don't be over dramatic. Neither of us were trying to injure each other. It was only a bout of pure senjutsu usage. A battle among Sennin. A battle of Sage Masters." Naruto said as everyone's minds rebooted.

After everyone calmed down, Anko asked in an awed tone, "When did this happen?"

Sasuke replied, "While on our way to Kiri. The spar Naruto and Hakuja-sama had was awe inspiring, not to mention completely changed the landscape."

"Alright, enough about unpleased things. Let's party!" Sakura said with cheer causing everyone to cheer in response.

"Also, everyone, the day after tomorrow at noon, Sakura-chan will be sparring with Senju Tsunade at training ground 56. All of you should come by and watch!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _N/A_**

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 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _N/A_**

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 _ **A/N: Hey Everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Now, everyone knows that I have published a new Harry Potter/Stargate Crossover. My original plan was to only post the Prologue and finish an active story before continuing it. Many of the readers have requested that I continue the story, so I have decided that I will only post one chapter of "Return to the Past" from now on instead of the two I normally do, and focus the time for the second chapter on "Return of the Alterans", so please no flames.**_

 _ **Also, I see many readers comment that I am inducting Naruto into the Sannin. That is a a misconception. I refer Naruto as Sennin, not Sannin.  
** **'Sennin'** **means Sage, while 'Sannin' refer to the title 'Densetsu no Sannin', which means 'The Legendary Three Ninja'. I hope that I have cleared that misconception. Also 'Sannin Travel Rights' are the freedom the Sannin have to travel. Granting it to someone is stating that the person is considered as strong and capable as a Sannin, not that they are members of the Sannin.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	20. Chapter 19 - Birth of a Legend

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 19 – Birth of a Legend**

"Here you go Naruto-sama, Sakura-san, Kaa-san!" Uzumaki Sakaki, Natsumi's daughter said as she placed a tray of cinnamon buns and three cups of green tea on the small table in between the three.

"Thank you Sakaki-chan!" Natsumi said with Naruto and Sakura nodding in gratitude. Sakaki smiled before walking out of the room. After leaving the private sitting room, Sakaki closed the shoji door causing seals to glow into life before fading.

Naruto took a sip of his tea as Sakura nibbled on a cinnamon bun after which Natsumi asked, "What did Anko-san say Naruto-sama?"

"She won't care about the consequences of a failed unsealing. I warned her, but she just said that she would go through it none the less."

"I see. Then I believe that Sakura-san is here to include her expertise on how to handle the enzymes that were injected into her body?" Natsumi asked with a questioning gaze at the pink haired medic. While it was not a strange sight to see Haruno Sakura roaming about the Uzumaki Compound or having tea or even staying over, but it was quite strange to her be present clan for discussions that weren't related to her position as the Chief Medic of the Clan.

"That's right. Sakura-chan, you read the reports and you have studied the samples Jugo willingly submitted. You tell me, how do we handle that aspect of the Jūinjutsu?" Naruto asked turning his attention to Sakura who was sipping her cup of tea.

After setting down the cup, Sakura frowned and said, "I have devised three ways to handle the enzymes. We either seal it permanently, but that would effect Anko-san's ability to learn Senjutsu, or, I can medically handle it. I can either extract all traces of the enzyme or create a neutralization compound that will need to be injected into her before you unseal her. Even then, I am a bit hesitant to go through either. I would like to consult with Tsunade-sama before finalizing anything. We don't want to do anything that would harm Anko-san in the long term."

"She makes a valid point, Naruto-sama. Orochimaru was quite brilliant when he created the Jūinjutsu. Normally, a Jūinjutsu is easy to remove for us, but the physical aspect changes things quite a lot. These enzymes and Orochimaru's cautious nature that have me worried. I have a bad feeling that if we remove the seal without handling the enzymes would only end in Anko-san's death."

"Alright, I will ask Tsunade to join us here. Do you two have all the notes on the seal and the enzymes?" Both females nodded causing Naruto nod before a Kage Bunshin phased into existence behind him. As soon as the clone came into existence, it vanished before reappearing with a confused Tsunade, who was wearing a bath robe and was drying her long blonde hair with a towel.

With a vein pulsing on her forehead, Tsunade growled out, "You better have a good reason for this Naruto, because I don't like it when people abduct me!"

"We do baa-chan. Sakura-chan wishes to consult with you about something before we proceed. Sakura-chan, if you would…"

Tsunade turned to Sakura as the Slug Princess sat down while she kept running the towel over her hair. "How much do you know about Orochimaru's Jūinjutsu, Tsunade-sama?"

"Not much. I am not a sealing expert after all. If you need a second opinion on it, I would suggest getting Jiraiya."

"I already did Tsunade-sama. We three came to the same conclusion. While most Jūinjutsu effect either the mind or the chakra of the victim or even both, this one also effects the body of the victim. There is a failsafe that if we were able to remove the seal, it would release a concentrated amount of enzymes that would overwhelm the victim's body and cause excess natural energy to fill and rupture the chakra coils. It would lead to a very painful death."

"Even I won't be able to expel the gathering natural energy before Anko's chakra coils rupture. The enzymes are quite a problem." Naruto explained with a glower.

Tsunade nodded before turning to Sakura, "They say that you are a Iryōnin that can rival me in skill. What is your take on this?"

"We need to handle the enzymes before they can cause problems. I have come to the conclusion that there are only three possible ways to handle the situation, and all three have possible drawbacks. I suggested that you give a second opinion." Sakura said as she handed over the folders to Tsunade, who placed the towel on her lap before picking up the folders.

As Tsunade pursued through the files, Sakura poured another cup of tea and placed it in front of Tsunade before returning to sip her own cup. Naruto had already finished his tea and was now nibbling on a cinnamon bun while Natsumi was adding sipping on her cup. After a few minutes, Tsunade placed the files on the table as she took up her cup of tea and drank it in a single gulp.

"You are right, there are only three possibilities, but I say that sealing the enzymes is the best way to go."

"Not if Anko-san wishes to learn Senjutsu, which she unfortunately does as the last approved Snake Summoner." Sakura said as Tsunade nodded.

"I see the predicament. If we seal the enzymes, there is a chance that her body will lose the ability to adapt to natural energy. Then we only have the choice to either remove all traces of the enzymes as the unsealing procedure is being done, or we have to inject her with a neutralizing agent. Both have too many factors that can lead to Anko being crippled. I would say that injecting the neutralizing agent is the best bet. Do you have samples from the original source? I doubt that Orochimaru used the original strains."

"No he didn't. The original strains are the basis of a Kekkai Genkai. We have the source here in the Uzumaki Holding house. You can meet him if you want." Sakura said with a careless tone as she took back the files.

Tsunade nodded before saying, "I don't think that is needed. What I want to know is how much of the concentrated enzymes are we talking about?"

"From what Jiriaya-sama, Naruto-sama and I have come to understand, the seal has two active stages and a dormant stage. In the dormant stage, a concentration of 0.35 ppm is the standard amount of enzymes the seal constantly circulates. In the first active stage, the concentration increases to 75.78 ppm. In the second active state, the amount varies from 150.89 ppm and 230.55 ppm." Natsumi said with a frown.

Sakura continued, "The host has a concentration of about 528.78 ppm when he actively uses his kekkai genkai at which point he loses cognizance. As of the amount of enzymes the seal will release if we remove it, it would exceed 925.47 ppm. The concentrated enzyme has a reactive index ratio of 3.21 to the original enzyme. You can understand how dangerous the amount will be, don't you?"

Tsunade nodded before commenting, "I do, but I am sure that with proper preparation, we can create, administer and modulate the proper dosage of the neutralizer while the unsealing is occurring. Can that be done?"

Seeing the question was posed to Natsumi, the Uzumaki Seal Master thought for a moment before saying, "I don't believe that there will be any problems if you hook up the equipment to Anko-san before the unsealing is done."

"I wasn't speaking of any machines. I was hoping that the Uzumaki would have a seal that could be used to do it. Other than that, it is futile because otherwise, we need someone to adjust the neutralizer absorption rate in real time. But unfortunately, there are no medical techniques that have been developed yet to do that. Maybe, if my Great Uncle was alive, he would have been able to control the absorption rate of the neutralizer substrate prepared in an aqueous base." Tsunade lamented causing Sakura's eyes to widen in realization.

"I think I may be able to do that!" Sakura mumbled though it caught everyone attention.

"What did you say?" Tsunade queried only for Naruto's eyes to widen as he commented, "You can use your immense control of water bending to control the absorption rate, especially since you can even bend blood and bodily fluids!"

"Exactly!" Sakura said with excitement causing Natsumi to look surprised at that titbit of knowledge. Tsunade, on the other hand, looked confused.

"What do you mean? There isn't anyone who can control blood! It's impossible!"

Naruto and Sakura turned to Tsunade with matching grins as Naruto said, "Maybe not with ninjutsu, but with ninshu, specifically water bending, it is highly possible. Very few have the strength of will and the disposition to be able to bend blood and bodily fluids, but Sakura-chan and I are two of them."

Tsunade looked disbelieving for a moment before Naruto sighed before focusing on the blonde haired medic. Suddenly, Tsunade felt the fluids in her left arm act out. She tried to resist, but unfortunately, the arm was not listening as it rose into the air.

With a panicked expression, Tsunade exclaimed, "Alright, I believe you!" As soon as she said that, her arm fell limply back down. Moving it around a bit to see if it was back under her control, Tsunade nodded with a satisfied smile and said, "That's a dangerous ability. More so than even the Hyūga Jūken."

Sakura nodded, "I agree, but it has quite a lot of great applications in the medical field."

Tsunade nodded before turning to Naruto, "How do you learn this water bending?"

"This is why I told you to learn ninshu from me, though I can't guarantee that you will have an affinity for water bending. Unlike ninjutsu, if you don't have an affinity, it is near impossible to learn bending of that element."

"Then how can you use all the elements? I doubt that you have an affinity for all?" Tsunade posed with a frown.

Naruto chuckled, "I said near impossible, not impossible. You would need hundreds of years of training to do that. As for me, I only have an affinity with Air."

Tsunade glowered as she said, "You don't look that old gaki!"

Sakura chuckled, "He may not be hundreds of years old, but he does have access to Kage Bunshin and an immense understanding of each of the elements and what they represent. Then there are his skills in senjutsu, that allows him to become completely connected to nature. If he can't realize the true natures of the elements, then no one can!"

Naruto blushed at the praise before commenting, "Ninshu is much more based on the disposition of the user than their skills in manipulating chakra. To bend an element, you need to understand what it represents and then change your mental state to reflect that disposition."

Tsunade nodded, "Alright then. Now Haruno-san, do you believe that you can do it. Administer and modulate the dosage in real time?"

"I believe so. It shouldn't be much of a problem for me to adjust the dosage on the fly."

"Then I believe we have a course of action. Is the neutralizer substrate ready?"

"I have had the Haematology department at the hospital already preparing and testing various strains. They will have the reports on my desk by eight this evening." Tsunade nodded before commenting, "Would you mind if I checked the reports?"

"Not at all. I would be honoured to have your input. In fact, as I am still an active Kunoichi, I would request that in my absence, you completely take over my position!" Sakura said with a little bow in the end.

Tsunade looked surprised but nodded, "It would be my pleasure Haruno-san!"

"Oh, please just call me Sakura, no honorifics. Like Naruto, I don't like formalities much."

Tsunade chuckled, "That's good, because unless completely necessary, I don't like formalities as well. Just call me Tsunade from now on Sakura."

"Of course Tsunade!"

"Alright then. We have a plan of action regarding Anko-chan's Jūinjutsu. Now, Sakura-chan, don't you have a class at the academy in a few minutes?" Naruto asked with a grin causing the pink haired girl to look up in surprise. Taking a look at the clock, Sakura hastily bid her farewells before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"What class is she attending in the Academy?" Tsunade asked in confusion causing Natsumi to giggle.

"She teaches the applications of water bending for healing purposes at the academy for future Iryōnin." Naruto said with a teasing smirk causing Tsunade to gape in shock. It wasn't everyday she hears of a girl, barely thirteen years of age, who is teaching such a complex subject. "You can join her in training new Iryōnin, if you want. She only has a couple of students in the bending class, but has quite the following in the basic Iryōjutsu class. Maybe, you could take off the burden a bit."

Tsunade nodded with a smirk. Though it was posed like a suggestion, she knew it was an order. "That's a good idea. I think I will drag Shizune along with me. I always did suggest such a program. It is good to see a similar program up and running!"

Naruto nodded before saying, "That's one of the reasons why Hideyoshi-jiji ordered your return, though before the order could be followed through, you were already here."

Tsunade nodded with a nervous gulp. She was so happy that she decided to return before she even got the official recall order.

* * *

Madam Shijimi was sitting with Moka in one of the Zen gardens within the Uzumaki Compound, sipping tea when Kanna walked up to them with a bunch of scrolls in her arms. Seeing the Heiress to the throne of Hi no Kuni walking up, Moka and Shijimi placed their cups on the small tray in between them and stared at the young princess with an inquisitive look.

"What are those scrolls about Kanna-chan?" Shijimi asked with a curious expression.

"I believe that they are the Uzumaki Library scrolls that deal with basic chakra manipulation, chakra theory and medical theory. Why are you reading them Kanna-hime?"

"I recently had a talk with Sakura-san, and her skills as a medic. After hearing what is needed to receive a certification to practice healing, I was intrigued. After asking if it was possible to for me to start learning at my age, she said it was not impossible, I just needed to be able to unlock my chakra and then gain appreciable control over it. Until I have achieved that, she advised me to study medical theory, basic chakra theory and basic chakra control. She said that it would help."

"You wish to become proficient in Iryōjutsu?" Shijimi asked with surprise.

"That's right Obā-sama! after talking with Otohime-dono, I was intrigued that she trained in the ways of the Samurai. I don't have the mentality to be a fighter, but that's doesn't prevent me from learning Iryōjutsu. In fact, Sakura-san and Otohime-dono suggested that I would do well as a medic. Besides, it is better if I know medicine. We can't always hope for one of the Iryōnin from Konoha to reach the capital in times of crisis!"

"A very wise precaution Kanna-hime. If you have any questions about chakra theory and chakra control and can't find Sakura-kun or Naruto-kun, come to me. I can guide you." Moka said with a gentle smile.

Kanna nodded before bowing and replying, "It would be an honour to learn under someone as experienced as you, Moka-sama!"

* * *

Many of the Jōnin were sitting on the top branches of the trees overlooking the large clearing in Training Ground 56. Beside the Sensei sat most of their Genin teams. In a particularly large tree sat Hiruzen, Hideyoshi and Kanna, latter of whom were sitting on two large throne grown from the tree. Right below them sat the Uzu Shinobi with Dōmon holding a large scroll in his hands. On the branch opposite the one occupied by Hiruzen and Hideyoshi, sat Otohime and her brother, Shiki with Zabuza and Haku beside them. Both royals were sitting on thrones made of wood.

The Clan Heads, some of the Clan Elders, the Anbu Commander and Tenzō were sitting on a large wooden stands, grown from the trees of at the edge of the clearing, a few feet above the ground. The Anbu Commander turned to Tenzō and said, "Good job Tenzō, your skills with the Mokuton are truly becoming awe inspiring!"

Tenzō chuckled and said, "I don't have the skills yet to do this. As of this moment, there is another Mokuton user in Konoha. One who will soon rival the Shodaime's famed skills!"

The Clan Heads looked startled at the revelation as none of them were privy to this mysterious Mokuton user, though a couple had some suspicions about who Tenzō was referring to. The Anbu Commander chuckled, "Then you better pick up the slack, or everyone will start calling you lazy!"

In the middle of the field stood Naruto, his cloak fluttering in the light breeze that was flowing through the clearing. On his left was Tsunade and on his right was Sakura. Both of them were wearing their usual cloths, but had donned a modified Iryōnin flak jacket. Tsunade's was pale green while Sakura's was dark pink.

On the other side of the field directly opposite the Hokage's perch were a collection of giant summons. A large black snake, the new Snake Boss, Aoda was there with Anko sitting on his head. The White Tiger Sage, Byakkō was sitting beside Aoda with Sasuke sitting on Byakkō's head. Beside Byakkō was a Vermillion bird with gold tipped wings and tail. This was Suzaku, the Phoenix Sage. Beside Suzaku was a large blue serpentine dragon, the Azure Dragon Sage known simply as Seiryū. Beside Seiryū was a black turtle. He had sage markings on his shell and was the Black Turtle Sage who was called Genbu. Behind the four Sages sat Gamamaru. Curled up behind Aoda was the Hakujā Sennin quietly hissing to Gamamaru. The Ōzaru Sennin was sitting on the other side of Aoda with Enma on his head. On the other side of the Ōzaru Sennin was Gamabunta with Jiraiya, Ma and Pa on his head. On Jiraiya's head was a small part of Katsuyu.

"Hiruzen, I didn't know that Konoha had this many summons?" Hideyoshi asked in confusion only for Hiruzen to shake his head and say, "Neither did I. Many of the summons are sages, from the small markings they have and their clothes. I believe that there is much more riding on this spar than we anticipated."

Tsunade looked around at the collected summons before commenting, "I though you said it was to be a simple spar Naruto?"

"So did I, but it seems that Gamamaru-sensei decided to make it into a meeting of the elder sages, I don't know why though. Anyway, just ignore the audience and fight to your best ability. You too Sakura. I have placed the whole clearing in a powerful barrier that will be able to hold back a full powered Bijūdama fired by the fox without problems."

"WHAT? This is a spar Naruto, not a war!" Tsunade complained while Sakura just nodded with narrowed eyes.

"Did I stutter! Go all out, or you will regret it!" Naruto said focusing a bit of his chakra pressure on her causing the ground beneath the Slug Sannin to crack. Nodding her head in acquiesce, Tsunade cracked her knuckles signifying that she was ready.

"The rules are simple, to win, one must knock out or force their opponent to yield. If I find the battle becoming too dangerous, I will stop it and will then discuss the performance of both participants with the gathered Elder Sages before declaring the winner! BEGIN!" Naruto called out before he suddenly blinked out of existence and reappeared atop Gamamaru's head.

"Why did you call the council meeting Sensei?"

Gamamaru chuckled and said, "All in good time my young apprentice. For now, watch the battle intently. I sense that it will be legendary!"

"When you sssay sssomething like that Sssensssei, it worriesss me!" Koshiro the Hakujā Sennin said casuing the four sages sitting in front of Gamamaru to chuckle.

"Isn't that true. Hey Seiryū, remember when Sensei threw you into an active volcano so that you could master your unique ice based senjutsu?"

"Shut up Byakkō, I really don't need to remember that horrifying experience!"

"You made it out alright and with greater mastery of ice!" Sasuke was horrified at the information and was hoping that Byakkō wouldn't be doing similar things to him.

"Both of you be quite! The match has started. I wish to see the young one's potential in manipulating the earth!" Genbu said with a gravely tone causing both sages to quickly become silent. Neither wanted to anger their fellow student. There is a reason that Genbu is considered the greatest defence specialist among them with his mastery over earth and water.

* * *

"The battle isn't quite as exciting as I expected, is it Inoichi?"

"I know what you mean Choza. For the legends of these two kunoichi's monstrous strength, I expected shockwaves to fill the clearing already."

"They are testing each other out. See how they move, how they pull their punches, how they easily parry each other's strikes? It will heat up soon." Shikaku said causing the other two to nod. And indeed, the battle started heating up as Tsunade and Sakura started speeding up and hints of their monstrous strength started appearing in the small craters that started forming on the ground and the small shockwaves erupting from the contact of their fists.

* * *

Jumping back, both Tsunade and Sakura had smirks on their faces. Wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead, Sakura caused Tsunade's attention to fall on the small diamond seal on her forehead. A seal that was similar to her own.

"Is that a Infūin on your forehead?"

Sakura chuckled and said, "Not exactly. It is based on the Infūin but instead of Yin chakra, it stores Yang. Yang chakra has a strong effect in regeneration factors and do not shorten the life span of the user, not that I need it."

"And why is that?"

"Healing through Water Bending can be just as effective. I can apply the healing techniques to the blood in my body to gain instant regeneration, giving me a pseudo-immortality as long as the technique is active!"

Tsunade chuckled, "Let me guess, it doesn't shorten your lifespan, does it?"

"No!"

"Then why don't we throw away the training gloves and start the real fight?" Tsunade said activating her Infūin. At the same time, Sakura smirked and activated her own seal.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before suddenly, Sakura was launched into the air by a pillar of stone. Tsunade was surprised but jumped back just in time. Sakura struck the ground causing a massive ten feet deep crater to form.

With a smirk, Tsunade jabbed her foot into the ground and kicked up causing a massive bolder to fly up. With a spin kick, Tsunade sent the bolder fly towards Sakura who just smirked in return and thrust her fist forward causing a shockwave to fly off and collide with the massive bolder. A simple hole formed in the middle of the bolder before it disintegrated into dust.

Sakura focused and caused multiple rocks to fly up around her and start spinning at great speeds as they heated up before turning into spinning shuriken made of lava. "Hope you can survive these!"

Tsunade looked shocked at seeing the flying lava shuriken and was barely able to dodge the first three but the forth caught her on her outer thigh, cauterizing the wound. Steam erupted from the burned wound as it sealed up in an instant, just in time for Tsunade to roll left and dodge the returning lava shuriken.

For the next few minutes, it became a game of cat and mouse as Sakura tried to guide Tsunade towards her with her flying lava shuriken, while Tsunade kept dodging and weaving out of the shuriken's paths with extreme dexterity.

* * *

"You have taught her well Naruto. Her skills in controlling earth is astounding!"

"Thank you Sensei, but that was completely her. She was the one who discovered the secret to bend lava."

"Don't be modest Naruto-dono. It isn't only the student, but also the teacher's accomplishment in discovering new applications of any discipline. Even, I haven't been able to understand the earth enough to be able to bend lava. Metal, yes, but not lava."

"You honour me with your words Genbu-dono!" Naruto said as he watched the battle unfold.

Tsunade had finally got bored of dodging and was rushing Sakura with the shuriken following her. Seeing a chance, Sakura caused the shuriken to suddenly solidify and crash onto the ground as she closed her eyes and focused on the ground around her. Taking a deep breath, Sakura suddenly opened her eyes and crashed her fist into the ground in front of her. All around her, the field started melting and changing into lava causing Tsunade to jump back and throw a few kunai at the distracted girl.

The kunai embedded into Sakura's stomach with sick squelches causing the girl to cough up a bit of blood. To everyone's surprise, the kunai flew out on their own and began circling around the pink haired as the blood around the wound flew back into it before a blue glow appeared for a few moments before vanishing revealing a completely unblemished stomach.

Raising her hand up, a long tendril of lava followed which solidified into a small handle with a long thin whip of lava flowing out. With a smirk, Sakura twirled the lava whip for a moment before causing it to fly forwards towards Tsunade who was too shocked to retaliate found her arm engulfed in a burning whip of solidified lava.

With a flex of her super strength, she easily shattered the burning rock revealing the burned muscles beneath. As the burns healed within seconds, Tsunade smirked and dodge another whip as she threw a few kunai to test a theory. She smiled when she saw that while Sakura could control the metal and the lava, she couldn't do complex things with both at the same time.

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she took control of the kunai Tsunade threw and caused them to join the others orbiting around her before snapping out with the whip again only for the Slug Sannin to roll out of the way and throw a few senbon at her. Again she took control of the senbon before whipping again causing Tsunade to roll and throw a few shuriken.

* * *

"What are they doing Hiruzen? Why are both not charging forward?"

"Both have monstrous strength that would assure their victory if they were able to land a blow on their opponent. They both know this, so both are being cautious, but with Sakura-chan's other abilities, I would say that Tsunade is at a disadvantage. Tsunade doesn't have any way to really cause damage from afar, while Sakura has, not that it would matter with both of them having the ability to instantly regenerate. This is becoming a battle of attrition. First to become fatigued will win."

Hideyoshi nodded in understanding when Moka spoke up from the branch below theirs. "Not quite. Sakura-chan is at a disadvantage at the moment. See how both are just taking pot shots at each other, Tsunade with the weapons and Sakura with her lava whip?"

Both Hideyoshi and Hiruzen nodded causing Moka to continue, "Sakura-chan is controlling the too much earth at the same time. It is mentally fatiguing her quicker. There is her focus to keep the lava in molten state and under her control. Then there is her split focus in controlling the whip and the metal weapons. I believe that Sakura-chan is putting too much pressure on her mind. Soon, she will faint from mental strain!"

"Ah, I see now, but it seems that she has realized that, since she now begins to attack aggressively again!" Hideyoshi said.

* * *

Feeling the sudden headache, Sakura realized what the problem was and made the orbiting weapons to fly towards a surprised Tsunade who was unable to dodge most of the weapons. With a grunt, Tsunade flexed her muscles causing the weapons to fly out as her wounds instantly healed up. Tsunade looked up only to see Sakura surf towards her on a wave of lava with the area around her feet frozen into ashen stone. Before Tsunade to could react, the wave was upon her and so was Sakura. In reflex, Tsunade stabbed forward and would have stabbed Sakura through the heart if Naruto hadn't reappeared and caught her hand in his glowing golden ones while Sakura was being held in an arm of chakra. The lava flew around the three before flowing into the craters filling them up and solidifying into a plane rocky surface.

"This fight is over!" Naruto declared with authority as he caused the chakra arm to put Sakura down on her feet and let go of Tsunade's wrist. "Please check over your wounds while I discuss the performance with the Elder Sages!"

With his piece said, Naruto vanished and reappeared on Gamamaru's head. "So, what do you think Sensei?"

"Byakkō, you go first!" Gamamaru said with a thoughtful expression.

"Both performed well. The young one's mastery over ninshu is astounding, especially since she has been learning it for such a short time, and at such a young age as well, but I believe that she could have done better. She needs more experience. Katsuyu's summoner needs to get some ranged techniques under her belt as well, and she seems a little rusty. Over all, I would say that it was a draw!"

Everyone nodded as Suzaku spoke up, "I had an interest in your friend Naruto-dono, for her healing skills, but her elements don't match mine and mine peoples. Her skills in healing with water bending by using one's own blood is something I have never come across. On the other hand, Katsuyu's summoner also has a similar technique that uses yin chakra to facilitate increased cellular mitosis. Because of that, both were practically immortal and the outcome of the battle would have only ended up with spiritually broken participants. One requires more experience and the other is rusty, so I say that the battle was a draw!"

"The battle was won by the pink haired one. Even with instant healing, Katsuyu's summoner would be the one getting the short end of the stick. Though Katsuyu's summoner has much experience and skill, she has stagnated and hasn't bothered to broaden her horizons. If we took away their regeneration abilities, then it would have been Katsuyu's summoner who would have died. The battle was won by the pink haired one!"

"You two have been unusually quiet Genbu and Koshiro. What are your thought?" Gamamaru asked causing Koshiro to chuckle and say, "I believe that this was a win for young Ssssakura. Ssshe has earned my ressspect by her performance. Tsssunade would have losssst if Naruto had allowed Ssssakura to dousssse her in lava!"

"I agree with Koshiro-sempai, Sensei. This was young Sakura's win and I believe I have found a new Turtle Summoner!" Genbu said with a grin as everyone looked at the ancient turtle with appraising looks. In the past, he had turned down many great shinobi and kunoichi the honour of becoming a summoner. To admit that a young iryōnin had earned his respect was something that many believe would not happen, especially since Genbu preferred those with a deposition towards defending the innocent.

Gamamaru chuckled, "I see your point Genbu, Koshiro, but I say that it was a draw. I saw the future possibilities that are now impossible, but there were equal number of outcomes in which Tsunade won, as much as Sakura won. Oh goodness me, it seems that we need a seventh vote to finalize the outcome. Ōzaru-kun, what are your thoughts on the battle?"

The Ōzaru Sennin looked stunned at suddenly being asked his opinion but quickly regained his composure and stated, "I believe that it was a draw Gamamaru-sama. If Naruto-sama hadn't intervened, Tsunade would have been drowned in boiling lava while Sakura would have been knocked out by a kunai to the heart. Even with their respective regeneration techniques, they would take a lot of time to recover and would have been mentally and physically exhausted, so I believe that the battle would be a draw!"

"Well said Ōzaru. There you have it Naruto. Declare the result. As the referee, it is your duty to officially end this!"

Naruto nodded before reappearing in the middle of the field. Focusing on his air bending, he softly said, "The battle has been a draw! There is no winner!"

Even though Naruto has spoken softly, the air bending technique had caused his words to be carried all around the clearing to the point that even the people occupying the farthest reaches of the clearing clearly heard him as if he was standing right beside them.

* * *

The Clan Head, Anbu Commander and Tenzō were nodding their heads in agreement with Naruto and the Elder Sages judgement when Naruto commented, "I am very happy that I agreed to allow Hinata, Hanabi and Neji to train in ninshu. If this is what a competent user can do, I don't want to face off against a master!"

"Right you are Hiashi-sama. Tenzō, you were in Kiri with her. Did she every show such skills there?"

"I believe that she did, Commander. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to witness it. you should ask Neko. She got front row seats to the massacre Sakura-san orchestrated with her control of the elements. From what I heard, it took her less than three minutes to completely wipe away nearly three hundred shinobi and kunoichi, that too without sustaining a single blow."

"Tenzō, you are being taught by Naruto-sama." Tsume asked getting a nod from Tenzō, "What are your thoughts to his teaching methods. I asked my son, but Kiba is too much of an idiot and worships Naruto too much to give a proper assessment."

Tenzō hummed for a few moments before saying, "He is a very good teacher, and his techniques are quite effective in transmitting the understanding needed to use ninshu. Plus, he teaches by example. He shows us the path, then it is our prerogative to walk it."

Tsume nodded as Shibi spoke up, "And his character?"

"He is a great leader. He is kind, but when needed, he is tougher than nails. If someone messes up during classes, he takes the time to personally get us through the mistakes, but if someone is goofing around, then let's just say that Asuma and his Team found out what happens during the Wave Mission."

Kakashi chuckled drawing everyone's attention to him. "What's so funny Hatake?"

"I was there when Naruto chewed out Asuma and Team 10. It was not pleasant. I am so happy that I have been able to quickly adapt to ninshu. That's all I will say Commander. If you don't believe me, just ask Sasuke. I am sure that you will be enlightened about how Naruto completely changed Sasuke's views."

"So that's why Ino changed so much after that mission. I just thought that it was because of her being exposed to the realities of the world." Inoichi said with a chuckle.

"Didn't you read the reports Inoichi, our kids didn't really need to do anything. The only time Ino really had to fight was when she eliminated a group of Gato's thugs. Even then, it was a mixture of air bending and genjutsu." Shikaku said with a thoughtful expression. "Now that I think about it. Even Shikamaru has been training harder than usual and has started incorporating ninshu into his strategies."

"I wonder if we can find a way to adapt ninshu into our clan jutsus?" Shibi murmured in a low voice, but everyone heard causing Tsume to chuckle and say, "Kiba is already doing it. He may not be a master in either fire or air, but he can apply both elements to increase the potency of the Inuzuka Clan Techniques. Who knew that air bending could be used to increase our already impressive speeds by a hundred fold!"

"Hinata has started adding water bending to her modified jūken while Hanabi is still learning the basics of fire bending and hasn't touched earth bending at all yet, but I can already think of many different applications of fire and earth to the standard jūken."

"Ino has been becoming quite strong in the mental arts of my clan. She says that our clan techniques and air are similar and that some of the air bending techniques she is trying to incorporate are related to astral projection and telekinesis."

"But don't your clan already use astral projection in those possession jutsu?"

"They do, but not in the way Ino is starting to apply them. We need to possess someone and at that time, our bodies are vulnerable. Ino doesn't need to possess someone. She floats around like a spirit and if required, can transfer back to her body within an instant."

"Chōji hasn't really adapted ninshu into our clan techniques but we do still use ninjutsu. Chōji has been replacing the ninjutsu with his earth bending. I wonder if Sakura-san would be willing to help Chōji learn to manipulate lava?"

"You know," said Kurama Hokuto, "At first I thought that a bit of favouritism was being shown as Sakura-san is Naruto-sama's best friend, but I now know that the promotion wasn't a fluke."

"If you knew Naruto-sama well, then you wouldn't have thought that. Naruto-sama is very fair and doesn't show favouritism. In fact, many would complain that he had influenced the Hokage to allow Konohamaru to be inducted into the forces, but let me tell you. Not only did Konohamaru had to give the new standardized graduation exam, he had to give a personal test administered by Naruto-sama. From what I saw, the test would force many experienced Chunnin into depression. Konohamaru, survived such a test and Naruto-sama had threatened that if Konohamaru failed, he would have to stay an extra two years in the academy. While Naruto-sama had suggested Konohamaru be given the chance, it was Konohamaru's choice to take the early graduation exam." The Anbu Commander said with a chuckle.

"Then I can rest assured that Konoha is in good hands!" Kurama Hokuto said getting nods from everyone present.

Before anyone could comment, Kakashi exclaimed, "Quiet, it seems that Tsunade-sama wishes to say something!"

* * *

"After thinking about the fight, I have concluded that it was my loss. I had greater experience than Sakura and had a greater time to hone my skills, but Sakura already matches me. In a few years, Haruno Sakura will easily surpass me! For that, I say that the winner of this fight was Sakura! Here is Grandfathers Necklace, just as promised!" Tsunade said throwing the necklace to Naruto and then giving a respectful bow to Sakura.

Surprised at the sudden gesture, Sakura returned the gesture before something suddenly clicked in her mind, "Why did you give Naruto your necklace Tsunade?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't know? Naruto here betted that you would win the spar, which, in my opinion, you did. So I had to part with the necklace."

Sakura growled and turned to Naruto with narrowed eyes causing Naruto to feel a sudden shiver run down his spine. Turning his head, he saw Sakura glaring at him. Supressing the shiver, Naruto asked, "Do you need something Sakura-chan?"

A light killing intent started wafting from the petite girl causing everyone to suddenly see the illusion of an angry war goddess.

* * *

"Oh my, it looks like young Naruto has bitten of more than he can chew. I told him it was a bad idea to bet on the outcome, but he wouldn't listen."

Koshiro chuckled and said, "Remindssssss me of Hagoromo and his wife. He ussssed to do thingssss like this as well! Do you remember Ssssensssei?"

"Of course I do. Their arguments were fun to watch!"

"Well, I better interfere before she causes any major harm to Naruto-dono." Genbu said before he was engulfed in a large cloud of smoke and disappeared. At the same time, a puff of smoke formed in between the two time travellers and from that smoke emerged Genbu in a size that was a bit taller than an average human.

"Haruno Sakura-san. I, Genbu, the Kurokame Sennin, have seen your skills in bending the earth to your will and have decided to allow you the honour of signing the Turtle Summoning Contract!"

Everyone looked startled, even Naruto. After a few moments of silence, Sakura finally regained her composure and with a bow said, "I would be honoured to sign the Turtle Contract, Genbu-sama!"

Genbu chuckled and said, "I see great potential in you. I believe that you may just be the one to be able to master my unique Sennin Mode. While there is a general Turtle Sage mode created by the younger Turtle Sages, mine gives complete mastery over earth and water. I am sure that it shall benefit your fighting style greatly. Come, let us head to Akaiiwashima." Genbu said as he placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Well, that was unexpected!" Ōzaru said before he bowed to the elder sages and said, "I shall be taking my leave. It is an honour to meet all of you. Hiruzen, when your grandson is ready, have him sign the contract. I am sure that with Naruto-sama as his master, he will be able to understand senjutsu better that you did!"

"Of course Ōzaru-sama!" Hiruzen said as the Monkey Sage vanished in a puff of smoke. With his leave, the other summons started leaving as well until only Koshiro, Byakkō, Katsuyu, and Gamamaru were left.

"Everyone dismissed! We wish to speak with our summoners in private!" Gamamaru commanded causing everyone not connected to the remaining summons to quickly vacate the area. Hideyoshi, Kanna, Shiki and Otohime being taken away by clones of Naruto, who used the Hiraishin to transport them to the Uzumaki compound while the shinobi left in either shunshins or leapt away in fear of the unsaid repercussions.

After a few minutes Gamamaru nodded and said, "Now, the reason all of you were asked to stay was because we believe that all of you have great potential. Yes, even you Jiraiya!"

"Sasuke, as I said, you have the qualities I have been looking for in a Tiger Summoner. What I didn't say is that you also have the qualities to become an immensely strong sage as well. While your chakra pool isn't large enough to learn how to safely harness natural energy yet, it will grow and in time I shall ask that you take up my offer. Until then, I shall assign you Kagedora as your familiar. He will be your primary summon and is the heir to the clan. He is well versed in the clan techniques and styles. Learn well Sasuke, for I have great expectations."

Sasuke nodded with a bow, but didn't say anything as he was stunned at the revelation.

"Anko. You have been given a sssshort ssstick from fate, but you keep persssssevering. You had great potential and I was overjoyed when Orochimaru had you ssssign the contract, but unfortunately, that potential is being sssssealed away because of that Jūinjutsssssu. After it is removed, I assssk that you ssssummon me sssso that I can sssstart your ssssenjutssu Training. It has been a long time ssssince a true Human Ssssennin has repressssented usssss!"

"I will make sure to bring honour to the clan Hakujā-sama!"

"Tsunade, I have only one advise. Learn Ninshu. It will broaden your horizons!"

"I have had the same though Katsuyu." Katsuyu nodded with a pleased vibe before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Jiraiya, you do not spend much time perfecting your senjutsu skills. You haven't even mastered the basic sage mode yet, so I cannot even suggest that you start the advanced exercises. My advice is that you start mastering senjutsu to a greater degree. After you have mastered the basic mode, ask Naruto to help you understand the exercises needed to start your path down the road to become a true sage."

"As you wish Gamamaru-sama!" Jiriaya said with a respectful bow. In the past, he may have ignored the advice, but at that time, he had believed that Gamamaru was a senile old coot, now that he knows the truth, he won't discard even the strangest suggestion.

"Naruto, after the Chunnin Exams, I ask that you reverse summon yourself to Myōbokuzan. I believe that you are now ready for the next set of exercises."

"Of course Sensei. I will head over as soon as I have settled into my place as Hokage." Naruto said surprising Sasuke, but the last loyal Uchiha decided not to comment.

"That is fine. I had already foreseen it. Make sure to visit Oni no Kuni soon. It will offer you a great opportunity!" Gamamaru said before he, Byakkō and Koshiro vanished in puffs of smoke leaving behind a group of confused shinobi and kunoichi.

"What did he mean by that Naruto?" Sasuke asked only for Naruto to shrug.

"I sometimes get disjoint visions every now and then while I am meditating while submerged in senjutsu, but Sensei has it down to an art form. The only way I will know, is if I follow his advice, which I will. I do need to talk with Miroku-dono and her daughter about the contract my father made with them."

Sasuke nodded while Jiraiya gave a perverted grin right before a snake wrapped around his neck while Tsunade punched the idiot in the head. "Keep it K-Rated in that empty mind of yours Jiraiya!" Both Tsunade and Anko said with glares before sharing a grin.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Kekkai Genkai = Bloodline Limit_**

 ** _Gaki = Brat_**

 ** _Iryōnin = Medic Ninja_**

 ** _Ōzaru Sennin = Great Monkey Sage_**

 ** _Kurokame Sennin = Back Turtle Sage_**

 ** _Akaiiwashima = Red Rock Island_**

 ** _Hakujā = White Snake_**

 ** _Myōbokuzan = Mt. Myōboku_**

 ** _Oni no Kuni = Land of Demons_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Jūinjutsu = Cursed Seal_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Jūken = Gentle Fist_**

 ** _Senjutsu = Sage Arts_**

 ** _Iryōjutsu = Medical Techniques_**

 ** _Mokuton = Wood Release_**

 ** _Bijūdama = Tailed Beast Bomb_**

 ** _Infūin = Yin Seal_**

 ** _Hiraishin = Flying Thunder God_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body-Flicker_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Here it is everyone, a new chapter of 'Return to the Past!' I hope all of you enjoy it!**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	21. Chapter 20 - Chances

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 20 – Chances**

"This Ketsueki Bunshin will be your trainer until I return from my errand in Oni no Kuni. Is that understood!" Naruto called out like a drill sergeant causing all of the ninshu students to call out in unison, "HAI!"

Nodding to himself, Naruto said, "Until the Chunnin exams, all nominated Genin will be training to perfect their ninshu enough to cause trouble for most Rookie Jōnin, if not outright defeat them. That's the level of skills I expect to be showcased by the Konoha Genin I am teaching!"

"HAI!" All the Genin of teams 7, 8, 9 and 10 called out, with his own and Sakura's replacements being Sai and Konohamaru.

"The Chunnin, Jōnin and Anbu, your job is to master as much as you can. Then specialize in the specialized bending disciplines that I, Sakura and Konohamaru have discovered. Any questions?" Seeing that no questions were forthcoming, Naruto continued, "After you have mastered your elements, your job will be to teach the ninshu classes at the academy on a part time basis. UNDERSTOOD!"

"HAI!"

"Good! Now an assessment of skills for the Genin. As I call your name, step forward! UCHIHA SASUKE!"

Sasuke stepped forward with a nervous frown causing Naruto to chuckle and say, "Your skills are satisfactory Sasuke at the moment, but I advise that you start practicing lightning generation and if possible, redirection. I would like you to see if you can develop skills in Combustion Bending, but that is not as important as Lightning Generation. Other than that, I would say that you practice mixing in Fire Bending with your taijutsu. SAI!"

Sasuke nodded and stepped back into line as Sai moved forward. "Your basic skills are top notch. Your ink based ninjutsu is unique and powerful, but I believe that combining it with your budding skills in Water Bending would be a strong asset. Please try it and get back to me. SARUTOBI KONOHAMARU!"

Konohamaru took Sai's place with a nervous smile. "You need more active experience. To remedy that, I assign you to regular spars with the Jōnin, Anbu and Chunnin present here. Other than that, I would advise that you keep practicing your newly discovered Combustion Bending, but only while under the supervision of an experience Shinobi or by clone. Other than that, keep up the good work! HYŪGA HINATA!"

Hinata stepped forward with a small smile as she waited for her review. "You have come a long way from the shy girl I started training. Your skills in that modified Jūken has skyrocketed along with your mastery of Water Bending. Your unique use of water bending as an extension of yourself is quite interesting and I would advise that you advance it more. Your fluidity in bending water into ice is lacking a bit, so you should practice a bit more. Other than that, keep up the good work! ABURAME SHINO!"

Shino stepped up with a slight buzzing emanating from his jacket. "You are good Shino. There is no doubt about it, but unfortunately, your element is the exact opposite of what would have augmented your kikaichu. Even then, you have found the time and place to develop a style of Fire Bending where you strengthen your physical capabilities with fire. An excellent style, but the lack of range will be debilitating in the long run. My advice is that you start learning to generate lightning. Other than that, keep thinking of other ways to compliment your clan jutsu. INUZUKA KIBA!"

Kiba and Akamaru jumped forward with a little whoop causing Naruto to smile and say, "What can I say Akamaru? Your master is pathetic at the moment. He has already adequately mastered both Air and Fire bending, yet he doesn't use them to augment his clan techniques. I am sure that you have told him such ideas, but he ignored you. For that, I am sorry. Make sure that he develops a style to increase the potency of his clan jutsu, will you buddy?"

Kiba gaped at Naruto, who was ignoring him in favour of scratching Akamaru under the chin. The little dog let out a small yip that cause Kiba to gape even farther before staring at the small white puppy with a look of betrayal. "Alright Akamaru. I will hold you to your word. HYŪGA NEJI!"

Neji walked forward with a stoic expression but if anyone looked carefully enough, they would notice the hint of unease Neji felt. "You are a prodigy. That's what everyone says… I deny it. You are a fool and a prideful one at that. You believe that your Jūken will be enough and are only learning Earth Bending since your Clan Head wishes you too. Pick up your act soon Neji, or I will have to cut you from the program. You have the offensive power. Now develop the defensive power that earth is associated with. NOW, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! HIGURASHI TENTEN!"

Neji rushed to hide behind his Sensei Gai while Tenten walked up with a cheerful grin. "How is the metal bending coming along?"

"Well enough, though I find that you can't bend platinum. Other than that, I am now absolutely positive that Fūton isn't my worst enemy any longer." Tenten said with bright eyes.

Naruto nodded, "Keep up the good work Tenten. If only all my students were like you. ROCK LEE!"

Tenten stepped back with a pleased expression on her face while Lee rushed forward with an excited one. "Rock Lee. A Shinobi with no aptitude for ninjutsu but a monstrous aptitude for Taijutsu. A Goken master in the making and a master of the Drunken Fist. For someone so young, you are very well polished. Like your aptitude for taijutsu, you have a similar affinity with your bending element, Air. To tell you the truth, I have very little left to teach you about the Air element. The rest comes with self-enlightenment and understanding of the very existence of Air. Achieve that, and I will give you the rank of Grand Master Air Bender. The same rank I am in Air Bending. Keep up the good work Lee. AKIMICHI CHŌJI!"

Chōji lumbered forward while munching on a pack of chips and waited for Naruto to speak. "You have a great deal more to learn about the Earth element, but you have adequate skills in bending the element to your will that it allows you to easily compliment your clan taijutsu style and jutsu. I advise spending more time in mastering basic earth bending before trying to master either Metal, Lava or Crystal Bending. Keep up the good work Chōji. NARA SHIKAMARU!"

Shikamaru lazily walked forward only jump back in shock as a pillar of earth tried to strike out at him. "Oi! What's the big idea?"

"Simple. I wanted to see if you could be motivated more. Now that I see it is possible, I have a new training regime for you. Since you were too lazy to master water bending to an appreciable degree, I have decided to personally tutor you. Isn't that a great thing Shika. We are going to have so much fun together!" Naruto said with a sweet smile that caused a shiver to run down Shikamaru's spine while Anko just grinned in glee. "Anyway, YAMANAKA INO!"

Ino walked forward with her head held high. Her dress had changed a lot under the influence of Anko and now consisted of a purple mini skirt that revealed her milky smooth legs, a skin fit purple crop top that accentuated her developing curves and visible fishnet blouse and short shorts underneath her top and skirt. Fishnet armour around her elbows and knees and a purple trench coat with fishnet armour weaved into it. Naruto looked over Ino's new wardrobe before giving an approving nod and commenting, "You have been spending too much time with Anko. Anyway, your skills with Air Bending is at the same level Lee's are, but you have the more esoteric Astral Projection and Telekinesis under your belt. Something that most don't have the mental disposition to have. Lee, in time will reach the disposition to use Astral Projection and I hope that it will be soon. On the other hand, he will never be able to develop Telekinesis as his mind isn't of the right disposition. Anyway, keep up your training and please try not to deconstruct Konoha with your Telekinesis, Ino. Your Spirit Illusions are quite frightening as well. Keep up the good work."

Ino nodded with a satisfied smile as she stepped back into line. Naruto turned to the gathered Shinobi and Kunoichi and said, "I am proud of you all, especially the Genin. You have all come a long way in a very short time. For the Chunnin, keep practicing. You have nearly mastered the intermediate techniques. The Jōnin and Anbu, you are near mastering the advanced ones. Keep up the good work and try not to showcase your skills to the foreigners yet. DISMISSED!" With a chorus of acknowledgement, the group dispersed into thin air with Naruto not far behind.

* * *

A middle aged woman wearing expensive silk robes of a Miko was sitting in her private zen garden, meditating. A small smile was gracing the woman's face as she meditated. Suddenly the eyes opened and the woman rose with near supernatural grace, as she turned to the shoji door and walked into the castle. A soon as she entered the castle proper, she ran into his advisor.

"Miroku-sama, good morning! Shall I have your tea delivered to your private dining room? Also, Shion-hime should be up soon."

Miroku nodded in greeting before commenting, "That would be lovely. Also, an important messenger will soon arrive. Make sure that he isn't delayed. His reputation precedes him, but I must meet with him immediately. If any of the samurai protest, tell them that their service is no longer required. I shall not accept any insult towards our guest or his master!"

The advisor, an old man looked startled but nodded in understanding while thinking who is this messenger and his master that Miroku-sama would be so interested in their arrival. Bowing low, the advisor rushed to let the samurai captain know about Miroku's orders as Miroku simply walked towards her private dining room.

* * *

"Wow. That's one grand palace!" Zabuza exclaimed to himself as he approached the gates to the veritable fortress, though for a ninja of his calibre, it would be easy to infiltrate it.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A guard called out causing Zabuza to come to a stop in front of the gates where two Samurai were standing. One of them was the speaker.

"I am here on behalf of my Daimyō bearing an important message for Miroku-sama!" Zabuza said handing over the small missive bearing the Seal of the Uzu Daimyō.

The guard checked the authenticity of the seal before handing it back to Zabuza with a smile and said, "Miroku-sama has been expecting you Zabuza-san. Please follow Yamabuki-san. She will lead you to Miroku-sama!"

With a nod, Zabuza took the scroll back and walked through the gates only to be met by a courtesan in an expensive kimono. With a nod of greeting, the woman turned and head back to the castle proper with Zabuza following. They walked in silence for a few minutes before they reached the entrance to a massive chamber. At the doors, the Advisor was waiting with an expectant expression. On seeing Zabuza and the Uzu Hitai-ate on his head, the man's eyes nearly popped out as he bowed and greeted, "Welcome to Oni no Kuni, Zabuza-san. I am Komamura and I am the personal advisor to Miroku-sama. Please follow me. Yamabuki, you may return to your duties!"

* * *

Miroku placed the scroll on the small table beside her and nodded in appreciation to Zabuza. "I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Until recently, I had thought that Naruto-dono was not interested in discussing the contract further. I will be having a room prepared for you, Naruto-sama and the two girls he will be bringing with him. Please enjoy your time here Zabuza-san, but before you leave with Yamabuki-san, I wish to have a few things clarified."

"I am here to serve Miroku-sama!" Zabuza said with a smile that was hidden behind the bandages.

Miroku looked pleased as she asked, "There are many rumours about Naruto-dono. I wish to know your honest opinion. What do you think of him? I promise that your thoughts will be held in confidence."

Zabuza straightened up and with his head held up in pride, said, "It is my greatest honour to serve Naruto-sama. He is a shinobi who hasn't fallen to the age old truth of take everything you hear with a grain of salt. He easily deduced my reasons for betraying Yagura and then offered me the chance to help Kiri. In return he asked me to help him bring Uzu back to prominence. Which, I am glad to do. He is an honourable man, but powerful and strong willed. None can make him change his mind if it is the right thing to do. He prefers peace and is working towards it. His greatest hope is the facilitate complete understanding between every country and every man, woman and child. A goal I wholeheartedly throw myself behind. He is the kindest person I have met, but he is also the greatest nightmare of those who are his enemies. He is not as arrogant as people in his shoes become. He is confident in his skills and judgement but isn't against taking advise from everyone around him. A better leader one can't hope to serve in a million lifetimes. He is a beacon of hope, a role model to all shinobi, kunoichi and even the heirs to many of the nations. To summarise, Uzumaki Naruto-sama is a god amongst men. A perfect being. A mortal who has ascended to the realm of the gods!"

Miroku coughed stopping Zabuza in his speech of praise. "That will be enough Zabuza-san. I have got enough from your speech to understand Naruto-dono better. Please follow Yamabuki-san now." Miroku said with a smile as Zabuza nodded before walking out of the chamber to meet up with the imposing woman who lead him in from the gates.

After Zabuza left, Miroku chuckled and said to herself, "That's interesting. It seems that young Naruto has a way of earing the loyalty of his retainers without even trying. I am sure that you would be proud of him Minato-dono." Miroku sat in silence contemplation for a couple of hours before calling out, "Guards! Send a message to Shion-chan that I will meet with her immediately. Have her come to my personal bedchamber!"

* * *

Shion was a beautiful young lady with long platinum blonde hair and pale pink-violet eyes. Unfortunately, for all her beauty and grace, she was also a bit hot tempered and a with an air of arrogance. While she would never demean a servant or those of lower rank than her, but she did have a habit of scolding them if they did something she didn't like. Her future adviser and bodyguard Taruho was one of the ones who was particularly targeted.

It had been three days since her mother had shown her the missive and the old documents from the negotiation she was going through with the Yondaime Hokage. Ever since she learned of her possible betrothal in the near future, she had been in a foul mood.

"Shion-sama! We really should be back inside the Castle! Miroku-sama will be angry at you again!" Taruho pleaded only for Shion to again ignore him. Most of the time, Shino was quite agreeable with all the rules her mother placed on her, but at this moment she wasn't being very compromising.

She had snuck out of the castle, against Taruho's protests and without her guards as well. Taruho had been complaining and tiring to get her to change her mind for nearly an hour now and it was annoying the young priestess beyond her tolerance point.

"Shut up Taruho! Why should I return back to the castle only to get another lecture from my mother? Here she expects me to just accept my being married off to some unknown middle-aged Daimyō and I am not even fourteen yet! How can you expect me to stay near her at this moment?"

Seeing the anger and sadness in Shion's eyes, Taruho decided to keep quiet for the moment. He could understand her a bit. He didn't want to train to become the next head bodyguard and advisor for the next Priestess, but here he was following Shion about, trying to form some kind of friendship that would make the situation better, but he wasn't about to say it and direct the young priestess's wrath on him.

Deep in thought, Taruho followed Shion into the forests to the east of the Castle, towards a small clearing that had a waterfall. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he missed the shadows moving about around them. A scream drew his attention back to the world and saw that they were surrounded by a group of scruffy bandits. One of them had caught hold of Shion's arms and was dragging her away while the others had unsheathed their myriad of weapons and was pointing them at him.

"Shion-sama!" Taruho screamed as he unsheathed his sword just as a sword pierced through his chest.

* * *

As Shion was walking through the forest with Taruho cowardly following her, she was suddenly overcome with a vision.

She saw a katana bearing down on her, her face and arms splattered with blood, when an unknown boy with spiky golden hair and cerulean eyes suddenly appeared and was cut down by the offending blade. Just as the vision ended, Shion found herself being pulled by the strong arms deeper into the forest.

"HELP!" Shion screamed as she was being pulled away and turned her head towards Taruho.

"Shion-sama!"

Shion watched as Taruho drew his spatha only to for an O-katana blade to emerge from his chest. The large bandit behind him grinning as he leered at Shion and said, "Hime-sama, you really shouldn't be wandering out here all alone. What if something happened to you like what happened to this poor boy? Please let us escort you to some place safe!"

Shion stood there with her arms still in the other bandit's arms in shock before it turned to anger. A burst of rainbow coloured chakra burst out of her completely shredding the arms of the bandit holding her.

"AHHHHH!" The bandit screamed as he fell to the ground cradling the stumps of his arms to his chest. Seeing the state of their fellow bandit, the other bandits charged towards Shion, with the one, who had attacked Taruho being the first to reach her.

Shion watched in horror and shock, with blood splattering her face, as the sword swung down towards her. Just like in her vision, the spiky blonde haired boy appeared and took the strike and was cut down, right before the same boy appeared with two girls. One with hair of a vibrant sapphire blue and the other had hair of a deep scarlet red shade.

"Karin, take care of the boy. Suiren, end these pathetic lowlifes!" The blonde haired boy commanded as he easily dispatched the closest bandits. With just a look, the bandits fell to the ground clutching their hearts.

The red haired girl, who Shion realized was Karin, nodded and moved over to Taruho. Cutting her palm, Karin placed the bleeding palm on Taruho's chest and closed her eyes. A deep golden glow surrounded Taruho and the palm before fading as the girl pulled back the palm with a slight stumble.

At the same time, the girl who Shion knew to be Suiren stomp on the ground causing pillars of sapphire crystal to emerge from the ground and with a snap of her fingers, all of them shattered into glittering sapphire dust that she then controlled with motions of her arms, hands, fingers and legs to flow around and kill all the remaining bandits within a span of a few seconds.

Shion watched in amazement as the girl, barely as old as herself was easily able to destroy all of these bandits while another was able to heal Taruho from what looked to be a completely mortal wound within seconds. The most astonishing fact was that the boy seemed to be even more powerful if he was able to take down the closest bandits with just a look.

"What do you think Naruto-sama?" Suiren asked with a bashful expression.

Naruto nodded with a smile as Karin looked at the massacre of glittering bodies. All of them killed by the crystal dust they breathed in. Karin commented, "Did you have to rip their innards to shreds Suiren?"

Naruto, as Shion now identified him from what Suiren called him looked at the bodies and then Taruho before staring into Naruto's cerulean eyes. A small blush appeared on her face right before she collapsed into Naruto's arms in a dead faint.

"Wow! She lasted much longer than I expected from a prissy princess. She went down from as sudden absence of adrenalin guys. No need to worry, but I would like it if we can get this boy to someplace safe."

Everyone nodded to Karin's suggestion as a yellow chakra cloak formed around Naruto before two chakra arms reached out of his body and gently clasped the unconscious duo. Without any overt signal, the two girls with him suddenly gained a bubbling red cloak of chakra before all three shinobi and kunoichi suddenly vanished into thin air.

* * *

An orange haired man was standing on a tall tower overlooking the village that was his domain. The whole village consisted of large metallic towers with hordes of pipes running down their sides. A heavy downpour was a constant in this village causing most citizens to wear heavy cloaks, large kasa hats and carry umbrellas. Not even the shinobi were spared as most used a combination of the above stated clothing combined with rebreathers as a uniform.

The orange haired man had rippling purple eyes and piercings of some kind of black metal all over his face. He was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it and his spiky hair was swaying in the slight breeze. The man was serenely watching over the village when he sensed a disturbance at the edges of his domain.

At the same time, a blue haired woman wearing a similar cloak appeared beside him with a concerned look. Before the woman could make a comment, the man spoke up, "Get ready Konan. The Kyūbi is here!"

"Are you sure Pein? The amount of chakra I am sensing isn't enough to be that of the Kyūbi."

"No I am sure of it. Uzumaki Naruto is more dangerous than I believed, if he can easily supress this much of his chakra. You felt the disturbance. We should have felt him entering Ame far earlier than we did. He was able to do something that I doubt even Sensei would have been able to do. Am I wrong in my assumption Uzumaki Naruto?"

Konan jumped at the sudden exclamation as she finally sensed the presence of the infamous Jinchūriki right behind her. Subtly pulling out a piece of paper, Konan prepared to fight lamenting that a fight of such a magnitude would occur right in the middle of her beloved village. The potential of collateral was immense.

Naruto chuckled, "I am not here to fight. Just to talk. I am not even really here. My friends and family wouldn't take kindly to me placing into a possibly hostile situation, no matter how powerful I am, without proper notice."

"So you aren't here. That means that the rumours of you having perfected the Ketsueki Bunshin are true!" Konan asked in awe.

Naruto nodded causing both Konan and Pein to share a look. A look that conveyed their thoughts to each other. A simple though, _"Why would he reveal his hand? Unless he was confident that we aren't a threat to his person."_

Pein coughed drawing Naruto's attention. "What is it you wish to speak of?"

Pein narrowed his eyes as Naruto grinned as he casually leaned on the pipe behind him, his arms where both Konan and himself could see. The whole unconcerned air about Naruto put Pein on edge. It reminded him of the Tobi. Even if he was loath to agree, he had to accept that Tobi was someone out of his league.

"You know Nagato, even though you are talking through Yahiko's body like a creepy puppet master, you have a good dream. Peace is something that I also strive for. As for Tobi, or Obito as is his real name, is a coward who hides behind a mask, both figuratively and literally. If you have even an inkling of your heritage, outside those fancy eyes of yours, you would know that with proper preparation, Tobi is as dangerous as a limbless Hidan."

"How do you know those names?" Pein asked with a cold tone causing Naruto to chuckle.

"I must tell you, you have done a good job hiding much, but there is no absolute certainty that what you have hidden would remain as such. Time is a great teacher. All is revealed in due time." Pein growled as Konan was now doubting their chances at taking on even this clone of Naruto, not to mention that he knew too much information.

"You still haven't answered Uzumaki. What is it you are here for?"

"No need to be so grouchy. Does prolonged sitting on a stone throne with metal spikes merged with your spine causes you to get a pole up your ass? This isn't how an Uzumaki acts. You aren't acting much like the Uzumaki you are."

Pein and Konan were alarmed at the sudden comment. It hit too close to home for Konan causing the woman to throw the pieces of paper at Naruto only to find the very rains around Ame to come to the yellow haired Jinchūriki's aid. The paper was encased in sphere of ice which crumbled into snow. At the same time, Konan and Pein found their bodies no longer obeying them.

"That's not very nice you know. I am here to just talk. If I was a threat, you wouldn't have even realized I was here until I had already slit your throats. Anyway, as to why I am here… Oh right – I am here to warn you Uzumaki Nagato. As kin, I am here to warn you that your journey will not end well. Your dream will not be fulfilled if you keep on the path you are following."

"And how would you know that?" Pein growled out in anger.

"Because I am one of the few people in the world who has been privileged to get a glimpse into the future. The path you are on will only lead to war Nagato. If you wish for more information, come seek me out. In six months, an official invitation will arrive in Ame for my marriage. I hope you accept it. You are welcome as well Konan. I am sure Jiraiya would love to see you both alive. Come with your real body Nagato. I am sure that our cousin, Karin, my best friend Sakura and Tsunade of the Sannin will be able to help you with your physical situation."

"How do you know that we won't use the invitation to attack?" Konan asked with a frown.

Naruto gave a mirthless chuckle and said, "I don't, but I have faith that there is still a bit of the real Uzumaki Nagato within the shell that is Pein. We Uzumaki don't break our word. We Uzumaki don't let harm befall family and friends if we are able to prevent it. And most of all, we Uzumaki have always followed our hearts, not the whispers of others. The price of betrayal by family is not something we talk about, but the price is greater than Death himself. Eternal pain is what awaits a traitor to the Uzumaki."

Konan and Pein felt the metaphysical grips on their body release them as they stumbled, but before they could recover, both felt a tap on their foreheads before a massive pain erupted within the core of their minds as images flashed through them. Both crumbled onto the roof, clutching their heads.

The images were seen from Naruto's perspective. Images of a devastated Konoha. Image of Naruto fighting and defeating Pein and his six paths by himself. Images of the talk Nagato and Naruto had which finally led to the use of the Gedo – Rinne Tensei no Jutsu by Pein to revive the dead citizens and shinobi of Konoha. The attack at the Gokage Summit by Tobi. The beginnings of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. The arrival of Madara and Tobi on the battle field with the Gedo Mazo that transformed into the Jūbi. The arrival of the past Hokage's and the devastation that followed. Finally, the image of Naruto trying some kind of jutsu just as the gigantic Bijūdama struck the allied shinobi forces and all was engulfed in white light as someone tackled him.

As the images faded along with the migraine, Pein and Konan opened their eyes to see that they had been lying on the roof for a few hours now as the over cast sky was now becoming reddish signifying that twilight was approaching. Looking around and focusing their attention to the sensory jutsu connected to the falling rains, they realized that Naruto's presence wasn't there anymore.

"He is gone, right Nagato?" Konan asked with a shaky tone.

Pein was staring at the ground in thought when Konan asked her question causing him to start, "Huh, did you say something Konan?"

Konan sighed before saying, "Don't let his words get to you. I doubt the images we saw were real. They must have been a genjutsu of some kind!"

Pein sighed as he shook his head. "No it wasn't Konan. If I am not mistaken, the pain is a signature of the Uzumaki memory transcription seal. It is one of my Clan's ways to quickly transfer knowledge of events to others. There are rumours that Naruto has the ability to glimpse into the future. But then again, the jutsu Naruto was trying to use, I don't know why, but for some reason the only thought popping into my mind is the Ninpō: Kako no yūrei. It must be a technique that is deigned to send the memories of the present to the past self. I believe that since I recognized it, it must be a technique created by the Rikudō Sennin. It uses the outer path. At least that much I can recognize. Other than that, I don't understand anything about it, but I would recommend not using it as the thought of only a single try is pervading my mind."

"Are you saying that he is from the future?" Konan asked with incredulity.

"I don't know. It may have been a vision of his that he shared. A possibility, but I must think more on this development. We must talk with him to get the whole picture, but I believe that his warning is sound, not to mention the qualities of the Uzumaki he mentioned. I had forgotten all what my parents had taught in my bid to gain peace. Don't let this information leak Konan. We can't let the others know about the opportunity. He has offered a hand of trust. I won't be a traitor to my kin!"

"If you think that it is worthy Nagato, I will follow you. About the offer to heal you, do you think it was genuine?"

Pein chuckled and said, "I remember my mother saying once that we Uzumaki have been known to break the rules of impossibility more times that we care to count. I am sure that it will be so again."

"What about Akatsuki, Nagato? Tobi won't let us walk away, you know this!"

Pein narrowed his eyes before saying, "I didn't say that we give up our plans Konan. I will postpone them until we go and meet with Naruto and discussed the prospective probability of the visions coming to pass. Until then, we lie low. Not that difficult with the sudden change in the political climate of the nations and the amount of power Uzumaki Naruto is holding now."

Konan nodded before she dissipated into thin sheets of paper and vanished with Pein turning around and staring out into the horizon. A single thought floating about, _"What do you wish to gain from this Uzumaki Naruto-sama?"_

* * *

The last thing she remembered was seeing a pair of cerulean eyes looking at her with concern and recognition. Sitting up, she looked around to see that she was in her bed chamber in the palace. With confusion, Shion closed her eyes and tried to think of how she ended up here, when she was just moments ago walking at the edge of the forest with Taruho, or was it all just a dream.

As she sat there in silence trying, to remember, the only thing flashing in her mind were two girls with vibrant sapphire blue and deep scarlet red hair and a blonde haired boy with the most gorgeous cerulean eyes. The thought of those eyes caused a faint blush to appear on the young Miko's face.

As the girl sat there in thought, trying to piece together the set of events that led to her meeting the owner of those cerulean eyes, one of her handmaidens walked into the chamber with a tray containing a bowl of water and a cloth. Seeing Shion sitting and awake, the woman set the tray on a small table resting beside the doors as she rushed forward with an exclamation of, "Shion-sama! You are awake. Miroku-sama will be so pleased! How are you feeling now?"

Shion scrunched up her face in confusion before asking, "How do I find myself here Mako? The only thing I can remember is Taruho being killed and then three shinobi appearing and killing the bandits that had us surrounded."

Mako nodded with a reassuring smile and said, "It's a good thing Naruto-sama was passing by on his journey here. He, his cousin and his retainer found you and Taruho-kun. As you remember, they took care of the bandits before escorting you back here. Unfortunately, you had passed out due to a sudden receding of the adrenaline running within your body, or that's what Uzumaki Karin-sama told us."

"The red haired girl?" Shion asked as the name flashed in her mind. Mako nodded with a smile.

"That she is. The other girl is the head of the Noble Makesshō Clan of Uzu, Makesshō Suiren-sama." Shion nodded and motioned for the woman to continue as the woman hesitated.

Seeing the hesitation, Shion asked, "And the handsome young shinobi with those beautiful cerulean eyes?"

Shion didn't realize her slip but Mako picked up on the small crush that the young Miko was developing, so with a knowing smile, said, "Shinobi-san is the Present Daimyō of Uzu no Kuni and your possible future husband, Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"

Shion's eyes widened in shock at the revelation. The boy who save her was probably going to become her future husband. The same person she had decided to hate for forcing her into such a difficult position. A position that she was not willing to accept. A decision that she was now in conflict with, especially since she knew that her husband-to-be wasn't that much older than her, probably even younger than her.

Seeing Shion sitting there in silence with her inner conflict clearly visible, Mako sighed and said, "If I may Shion-sama, don't judge someone before you get to know them. Take this as an advice from someone who has lived on this cruel world longer than you, not everything is as it seems at first light."

Shion nodded, and slowly the conflict vanished as Shion came to a decision. Mako smiled and said, "I will have a bath drawn up for you and then have your finest ceremonial kimono ready. Now that that's out of the way, what were you thinking? Going out into the forest with only Taruho. That was very irresponsible of you. Miroku-sama and I didn't raise you like that. You are usually such an obedient child. What caused you to put yourself in danger like that?"

"Sorry about that Mako. I was not thinking straight. I just wanted to get as far away from Haha-ue. She hasn't been taking my passive resistance to the thought of my marriage well."

"She just wishes the best for you. Besides, I know for a fact that the Treaty Contract has a clause that would keep the treaty active and also let you and Naruto-sama not having to marry, if either of you didn't like each other." Seeing the confused look on Shion's eyes, Mako said, "Miroku-sama had asked my opinion on the marriage part of the treaty. It was my idea. An idea that Naruto-sama's Haha-ue and Chichi-ue had completely agreed with."

"I see. Anyway, I have decided not to fight Haha-ue on this issue any longer, but I will still not accept the marriage unless I am sure that it is in my best intentions."

"Prefect. I will let Miroku-sama know. She will be very proud of you, just as I am. You are growing up into a beautiful and wise young lady. I would have scolded you if you had accepted without thinking of the consequences. Besides from what I heard from Karin-sama and Suiren-sama, Naruto-sama is a fine young man. He would be a fitting husband for our beautiful and precious young princess! Not to mention pleasant on the eyes as well." Mako teased causing Shion to blush harder. With a chuckle, Mako stood up and walked out of the room calling out, "I will have the bath ready in five minutes. And don't worry about Taruho-kun. He will be just fine. Karin-sama made sure that he will live to a ripe age, unless he does something stupid and gets killed in the process."

Hearing that Taruho was fine, Shion breathed a sigh of relief and prayed to the gods for the good fortune that was shining upon her. As she stood up to head to her private Onsen, a thought occurred to her. Until then, all of her visions had come true. Until then, she believed that she had been cursed to see the death of all those around her. For the first time, her vision was proved false. A small seed of doubt was planted. A seed that would sprout into a mighty tree in time.

* * *

Miroku sat at the balcony looking over the large training ground her guards normally used for training. Instead of the samurai, a different kind of soldiers were training in it. Two girls, one with deep scarlet hair and the other with vibrant sapphire hair were battling each other. The scarlet haired girl had conjured yellow glowing chains and were manipulating them to attack the other girl, while the other girl was attacking with the floating sapphire crystals, the glittering crystal dust and the very earth itself.

From time to time, the red haired girl was launching some kind of technique that Miroku could only call magic as the girl was pointing her fingers or palms and releasing devastating waves of energy or beams of light that either caused harm or from what she understood, were sealing techniques. But, the question was, how can someone use Fūinjutsu without proper shiki?

"Those are sealing techniques I developed with my understanding of the elements and the nature of chakra itself. As an accomplished fūinjutsu user, I am sure that you can understand that with the proper formula or shiki to be precise, we can do well-nigh anything that takes our fancy." Naruto commented from her side causing Miroku to nod in agreement.

"But I question why would you develop such techniques? Such Jutsu could be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

"I agree with you, but only those of my Clan and those approved my both the Clan Head and the Majority of Elders of the Clan will be allowed access to these techniques. Even amongst my Clan, only those showing the potential to be a Battle Fūinjutsu Master will be allowed to study them, and that's after studying the old Battle Fūinjutsu Uzumaki Senju Mito was known for."

Miroku nodded but before she could comment, Naruto jumped off the balcony and landed right in between the two girls and with a grin said, "Great job you two. Karin, you need to focus more on developing your control of Kagura Shingan. It would be extremely valuable during battles. Suiren, clear your mind more. Wait and react. If you do so, the very earth will become your ally. It will bring the vibrations of those touching it to you and alert you to potential hostiles. Other than that, both of you have gained great control of your individual abilities. Soon we shall start your training in ninshu Karin. Prepare as fire is an element that shouldn't be underestimated and disrespected. It is the element of life, creation and destruction. Misusing it would only lead to destruction. And Suiren, you are allowing your cloud of crystal dust to become too thinned out over time. Replace the lost dust as you attack and defend. Learn to split your mind to do both."

"HAI NARUTO-SAMA!" Suiren screamed from an attention position while Karin just chuckled and said, "As you wish Naruto. So, are we done for the day?"

"Yes you are done. Take a rest and watch the show. I am sure that both of you would love it, especially since you have trained under Zabuza before."

A vein throbbed on Karin and Suiren's forehead at the reference to the hell Zabuza called training before a pleased smile graced their lips at the ass kicking Naruto was about to inflict on the present strongest Jōnin of Uzu.

* * *

Shion had finished bathing and was now clad in an ornate ceremonial kimono with red hakama and white kosode. Her hair was pulled up in a bun with ornate jade chopsticks running through it, holding the hair in place. Finally, a pin with a crystal bell was pinned to the bun. A tabi and zori were adorning her feet.

Thus attired, the young miko walked onto the balcony overlooking the training grounds with a curious expression on her face. As she walked reached her mother, without a word, she sat down on the empty seat beside her and turned her face to the battle field. What she saw, caught her by surprise.

"Is that all you got Zabuza? As the Jōnin Commander of Uzu, I find you lacking!" Naruto taunted as he easily parried Zabuza's overhead slash and buried the end of his staff in the former Nukenin's stomach.

Jumping back, Zabuza growled and channelled his chakra into the blade of his katana causing a faint blue glow to engulf the blade as Zabuza sheathed the sword in its saya and took a standard Iai position. Taking a calming breath, Zabuza unsheathed the katana in a graceful arc causing the gathered chakra to fly off in a destructive wave.

"Now that's more like it!" Naruto said as he spurns his bo staff before slamming it into the ground causing a wall of shadows to erupt and absorb the flying blade of chakra. With a grin, Naruto used the staff as makeshift pole vault and jumped over the wall towards Zabuza, causing the kenjutsu specialist to chuckle and rush forward to intercept only to have to jump back when the shadow behind Naruto to erupt in a wave of shadow spikes.

With the rush of adrenalin and grace born out of years of practice and experience, Zabuza easily dodged, spurn and parried the spikes as he approached Naruto with his katana taking on a faint blue glow. At the same time, Naruto's staff took on a pale black glow as he charged forward to meet Zabuza head on.

"So?"

Hearing her mother's sudden question startled Shion causing Miroku to chuckle and ask again, "So? What do you think. Is he to your liking?"

"That waits to be seen yet, but I will agree that I was too hasty in judging him without even getting to know him or even who my prospective husband would be. I will allow him the chance to win my affections." Shion said with a haughty attitude.

"That's good, because I am sure that he will succeed. Now let us keep watching. I will officially introduce you two at lunch, which should be in a couple of hours." Shion nodded as she returned her attention back to the intense spar occurring on the training field.

By the time lunch came by, Shion and Miroku were shocked to see that both were still fighting with just as much vigour as they started with. The only difference was the slow increase in their skills in using their individual weapons. Never before had they seen such quick development of skills from the samurai pledged to their family, or even the ninja that they had, had the privilege of watching train.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Kikaichu = Distruction Beetles_**

 ** _Miko = Priestess_**

 ** _Oni no Kuni = Land of Demons_**

 ** _Hime = Princess_**

 ** _Kasa = Reed hats worn in Ancient Japan_**

 ** _Gedo Mazo = Demonic Statue of the Outer Path_**

 ** _Sannin = Three Ninja_**

 ** _Rikudō Sennin = Six-Paths Sage_**

 ** _Uzu no Kuni = Land of Whirlpools_**

 _ **Haha-ue = Honorable Mother**_

 _ **Chichi-ue = Honorable Father**_

 ** _Shiki = Formula_**

 ** _Kagura Shingan = Mind Eye of Kagura_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Ketsueki Bunshin = Blood Clone_**

 ** _Jūken = Gentle Fist_**

 ** _Goken = Strong Fist_**

 ** _Gedo – Rinne Tensei no Jutsu = Outer Path – Samasara of Heavenly Life Technique_**

 ** _Bijūdama = Tailed Beast Bomb_**

 ** _Ninpō: Kako no yūrei = Ninja Art: Ghosts of the Past_**

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 _ **A/N: OH LOOK! An early Update. I hope all of you enjoy it! And make sure to leave a comment.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	22. Chapter 21 - Interlude II

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 21 – Interlude II**

Otohime was watching what was happening in the training field at the back of the Uzumaki Main house while drinking a cup of herbal tea. As she watched the spar, the only thought floating in her mind was that she need to get better as well. She wouldn't allow her future sister wife to outshine her. She also decided to ask Naruto to teach her ninshu. It was an interesting skill and she was intrigued to learn what element she had.

A tentacle of water struck out as another transformed into an icy scythe and tried impale and bifurcate the Naruto clone she was sparring with. Over the past few days, since the review of her skills, Hinata had been working hard in increasing the fluidity of transforming water into ice and vice versa, just like Naruto had recommended. And her persistence is paying off. Her skills had increased and with them her threat level. Especially with the help from the clones.

Hinata was surprised to see the clone pop even as she knew that her strike hadn't touched it yet, causing her to lose her focus. The water she was controlling fell to the grassy ground just as another clone appeared beside Otohime. The clone clapped and said, "Well done hime! You just learned to manipulate the water molecules in the air. I can easily think of multiple ways to pull pranks with it! Soon, you will be giving me a run for my money!"

Hinata blushed at the praise as Otohime hid the bit of jealousy she felt, but unfortunately, Naruto picked up on it but decided not to comment. He had an inkling about what Otohime was being jealous about and decided to offer her the same chance he gave Hinata.

"You know Hisui-hime, if you want, I can teach you Ninshu as well. I am sure that you will need it in the future to keep me in line!" Naruto said with a snicker. Otohime blushed as she realized that Naruto had picked up on her jealousy, but nodded in agreement.

"I hope you have water as well, Hisui-chan! Then we can debate on techniques!" Hinata said in as a way of encouragement.

"Thanks Hinata-chan, but I doubt I have water, do I Naruto-kun?"

"Who knows. We can test you tomorrow morning!"

"Not at the crack of dawn! If I am woken up by having a bucket of ice water, then there will be hell to pay!" Otohime warned with a smile, "I have always been pampered and am not used to waking up earlier than ten in the morning!"

"Don't worry. I wasn't planning on using that anyway. Moka-obasama and Bā-chan would have my hide! Besides, I can already think of several other ways to wake you up!"

"Make sure you do. And it better be pleasurable instead of annoying!" Otohime said with a huff causing Hinata to blush at the hidden meaning behind the words.

Naruto nodded and before dissipating in a puff of smoke, he commented, "Oh! It seems that Hinata-chan is becoming sick again like before!"

Otohime chuckled at Hinata's embarrassment before saying, "You should get over the embarrassment you feel every time Naruto and intimacy is mentioned. Girl, we are going to be married to him soon! Get yourself together!"

Hinata squealed lightly at the teasing and nearly fainted at the teasing before stuttering out, "It's s-so diff-icult sometimes. I have gotten better than before and Naruto-kun has changed me so much, but I still feel nervous at the thoughts of certain situations Hisui-chan."

Otohime chuckled and said, "Then I have to coach you. It would be quite unbecoming of you to be embarrassed at such minor things."

* * *

Sasuke went through the circular motions Naruto and Kakashi had taught him. He separated the yin chakra from the yang within his chakra core and allowed them to crash together creating the lightning and then like every time before, he tried to direct it out of his fingertips. Like before, the lightning flowed to his fingers before exploding as soon as it left throwing him back and singing his fingers and hand.

"Stop trying to control the lightning. You need to only direct it and let it take the course it wants after it escapes your body Sasuke!" A clone of Naruto scolded as Sasuke sat up and got ready again, but before Sasuke could continue, Naruto said, "Lightning is an element that flows like water, but with more force and cannot be forced into a path it doesn't want to follow. Clear your mind and then try. Take a rest and meditate to centre yourself and try again!"

Sasuke didn't comment but just sat down to rest and meditate. He was trying to focus when he felt something rapidly approaching his face. Lying back to allow whatever it was, he suddenly felt a hard knock at the back of his head. Sitting up, Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at Naruto.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You need to focus inwards. Not what's happening around you!"

"I was doing just that!"

"Then you would have been hit by the ball of water I threw at you! Try again!"

Sasuke glared for a moment before ignoring Naruto and trying again. This time, he was able to focus as when Naruto threw a ball of water at him again, he didn't even flinch causing Naruto to bend the ball away from Sasuke with a satisfied smile.

* * *

Sai was standing with large pots of water based ink around him. As Naruto had suggested. He had found a way to combine his ninjutsu with his ninshu. Going through the motions, Sai caused the ink to rise into the air and form complex animals. The same animals he used with his Chōjū Giga, only directly forming in the air and in in less time. With a smile, Sai caused the creatures to attack each other in an effort to see how well done they were.

The animals proceeded to tear themselves apart and Sai saw that his execution, while acceptable, wasn't up to the standards Danzo had expected of him, or the standards Naruto expected. With that though in mind, Sai continued to practice.

* * *

"Troublesome blonde!" Shikamaru grumbled as he dodged another spike of rock and retaliated with a wave of rising ice spikes. Naruto chuckled and waved his hands causing a blade of wind to shatter the icicles and fly towards Shikamaru who waited till the last moment before drawing up a icy shield from the wet ground and was surprised when it was easily shattered, pelting him with shards of ice and a blast of heavy wind throwing him back.

Jumping back to his feet, Shikamaru saw Naruto dropping from the sky with a ball of swirling blue chakra in his fist causing the Nara heir to curse and bend the water to carry him away just as Naruto crashed the Rasengan into the ground causing a massive crater to form. "Oi! You trying to kill me you troublesome blonde?"

"Kill no, grievously hurt, yes!" Naruto said with a smile as clapping was heard from the edge of the clearing. Naruto and Shikamaru turned to the source to catch sight of someone that caused Shikamaru to pale.

"Ah… Nara-dono and Nara-san. I hope you like how well Shika is progressing?"

"Keep it up Naruto-sama! I am sure that my son will learn not be as lazy as this bum sooner or later!" Shikamaru's mother said with a grin. "And please, call me by my name, Yoshino! Your mother and I were friends, not as good as she, Hitomi and Mikoto were, but friends all the same."

"It will be my pleasure Yoshino-san. Oi, did I tell you to lie down!" Naruto exclaimed and stomped the ground causing a wave of mud to thrown Shikamaru upright as the boy grumbled. "Up your Resistance Seals by one level and get to jogging. Ten laps around the Training Ground!"

Shikamaru glared at Naruto mumbling about troublesome slave driving blondes as he raised his resistance seal one level before heading off to start his jog. After they were sure that Shikamaru was gone, Shikaku said, "There is a meeting this evening about you know what. All Jōnin, active and retired, are being called. I hope you already have the plans ready."

"Don't worry about it Nara. Just be ready for a long night, because I want to make sure that there aren't any loop holes. One mistake and the consequences can be disastrous, especially with the number of foreign Kage coming this time."

Shikaku nodded, "Then I will have lots of cups of coffee ready. See you later."

Naruto nodded as Shikaku and Yoshino left in puffs of smoke.

* * *

A Team of ANBU were nearby throwing earthen tiles into the air were they spontaneously combusted. The ANBU watched in awe as Konohamaru kept training his newly discovered Combustion Bending under the supervision of Naruto and the Sandaime Hokage.

"Again and faster!" Naruto commanded causing the ANBU to throw the tiles and again in rapid succession, Konohamaru shot them down with little effort.

"It seems that he is reaching his limit, doesn't he?"

"That's right Jiji. After this round is over. It would be best if he rested for the rest of the day. The amount of focus needed and the strain on his mind is astronomical, but the amount of dedication he is showing will allow him to master Combustion Bending within maybe a couple of years. I think that with proper focus, we can combust things hidden out of our sight as well."

"That's a very dangerous ability in the hand of the wrong people." The Sandaime commented.

Naruto nodded and said, "I don't plan on telling that to anyone else and I warned Konohamaru not to as well. Other combustion benders may appear in the future but it is best that they don't know the full capabilities."

Hiruzen nodded as Konohamaru finished this round of shooting down tiles with combustion bending and sat down on the ground with sweat running down his face and neck, panting heavily.

"Well done Konohamaru. You are getting better at focusing and rapidly changing your focus. Take the rest of the day off. Go home, get cleaned up and take a nap. You need to rest your mind."

"Sure thing boss!" Konohamaru said as he stood up but before he could leave, Naruto said, "Come by this evening for your Fūinjutsu classes. I know that the beginning sections are boring, but I expect you to become at least an intermediate in fūinjutsu by my clan standards by the time you make Jōnin."

Konohamaru nodded before disappearing in a swirl of flames. After he left, Naruto dismissed the ANBU and turned to Hiruzen and asked, "Why are you really here Jiji? You prefer to take care of the paperwork yourself, instead of letting clones do all of it."

"I came to see my grandson being trained by my successor!" Naruto didn't look amused causing Sarutobi to sigh and say, "I am worried about Ōnoki's sudden acceptance of the invitation to the Chunnin exams. I fear that he is in league with Orochimaru."

"I doubt it. Ōnoki may be a bitter old man, but he hasn't gone senile yet. The fear of my retaliation will stay their hands."

"I hope you are right Naruto, but I would prefer that you prepare contingencies." Naruto nodded to appease the aged Sandaime before dissipating in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Miroku sat down on the cushion with a cup of tea in her hand and Shion beside her. Both wearing the traditional dress of a miko, only of a more formal design. Across from them sat Naruto and Karin. Karin and Naruto had unsealed a bottle of herbal tea that Sakura had forced the two to drink.

"What is so special about that tea you are drinking, Naruto-sama, Uzumaki-san?" Shion asked with a tilt of her head.

Karin chuckled and spoke, "It is a medicinal blend created by Haruno Sakura. She is Naruto-kun's oldest friend and the top rated active Iryōnin Konoha has. She rivals our cousin Senju Tsunade in skills."

Miroku placed the cup of tea on the table in between them and asked, "Why would you need a medicinal blend? Both of you are so young!"

Karin and Naruto chuckled before Naruto said, "Both of us are of the royal line. While Uzumaki in general have denser chakra and larger reserves than most, the royal line manifests some special abilities that require greater levels of chakra. While I already have immense levels, I haven't manifested any of them, but Karin-chan here has. She has manifested all three abilities. The blend helps our bodies quickly gain physical maturity and physical peak. We keep to Sakura's prescribed blends at the moment to gain the maximum effect. In fact, even Suiren and the other young shinobi hopefuls of Uzu are drinking it."

"It is also a good blend to combat malnutrition." Karin said with a sad smile.

Miroku nodded in understanding while Shion looked confused and asked, "Why would you suffer from malnutrition Naruto-sama? You are a Daimyō!"

Miroku looked aghast at the question, and was internally angry that Shion would not have read the briefing scroll she had sent her, but decided to wait and see how Naruto reacted. Naruto chuckled, causing Miroku to look surprised. "You may not know this, but I grew up on the streets until recently. The Sandaime decided to protect me from my parent's enemies by completely hiding me and my heritage. Until I showcased my overwhelming power, I was considered an outcast and the Bijū sealed within me."

"What do you mean Naruto-sama? You are the prison of one of the nine great demons?" Shion asked, aghast at the information, unable to understand how that could happen.

"That's right, but calling them demons aren't very accurate. They are masses of sentient chakra and forces of nature created by the Rikudō Sennin when he separated the demonic god Jūbi into nine individual beings before his death. Those of us who have the Bijū sealed within them are called Jinchūriki and the first Jinchūriki was the Rikudō Sennin himself. He was the prison of the Jūbi."

Shion nodded at the revelation before asking, "Aren't you afraid of suddenly being controlled by the beast within you, if the seal weakens?"

"What seal? I had opened the seal a long time ago. As I said, the Bijū aren't malicious demons. They are just misunderstood. Kurama, the Kyūbi is a good friend and a good advisor. His millennia of experience and wisdom is invaluable. He only stays within the opened seal because if he leaves, there is a probability that I would die. He is one of the most trustworthy friends I have." Naruto said with passion causing Shion to blush a bit. Naruto didn't notice it, but Karin did and planned to tease the girl when she had a chance.

"That's interesting Naruto-dono. Are all Jinchūriki like you and… Kurama, was it?"

"Not really. Only we, Kirabi and the Hachibi, Gyuki, and Nii Yugito and the Nibi, Matatabi are in good relations with each other. Though Yugito and Matatabi tend to quarrel a lot."

"That's interesting. I didn't know it was possible to befriend the Bijū." Miroku said with a frown.

"It is, we just have to get through the centuries of hate they develop because of the action of humans and gain their respect. We had to work very hard to be able to help dissipate the darkness from their hearts. Now, we can work together by synchronizing our powers, though we had to conquer our own darkness before being able to safely channel their power. While their darkness has been removed, the dark taint of Jūbi still remains. That is a darkness no one can overcome. If we allow the Jūbi's darkness to overcome us, we lose ourselves to the madness and tend to kill anything and everything in sight. Luckily, I am one of the three who has no fear of that happening."

"Because you have overcome you own darkness?" Miroku asked with intrigue.

"That's right. Besides, Karin here has the ability to restrain Bijū and so even Jinchūriki. With a bit of training, she will be able to singlehandedly hold back all nine Bijū like Senju Hashirama could do with his Mokuton." Karin blushed at the praise.

"What is her power that will allow her to restrain Bijū?" Shion asked with interest.

"I am sure your mother remembers the chakra chains Karin manifested during her spar with Suiren." Miroku nodded in agreement, "It is a special technique only a few in the royal line manifests, my mother being one of them. The solid chakra chains, we call the technique Kongō Fūsa."

"The Adamantine Sealing Chains?" Shion asked in awe.

Naruto nodded before continuing, "That's right. Karin still has a way to go before she has completely manifested the finished technique, but she is getting there. We can channel fūinjutsu techniques through the chains. I am sure that you can understand the implication?"

Shion nodded with wide eyes, "That's incredible. A single touch from the chains and a complex seal can be applied to the target. Truly, the Uzumaki Clan are the leaders in Fūinjutsu. And here I thought that my family was skilled in fūinjutsu."

"We are getting off topic," Miroku said with a smile. "We met here to discuss the treaty that Namikaze-dono and I were discussing before his unfortunate demise."

"Right! We can get better acquainted later. Now I have read through the treaty and have discussed it with my clan elders, my advisors and Kurama as well and have decided that the treaty is sound and requires no changes. I am willing to sign it right here with Karin and Zabuza as the Uzumaki witnesses. The only thing I wish to discuss is the betrothal section." Miroku nodded in understanding while Shion frowned at the mention of the treaty and her betrothal.

"What is it you wish to discuss? I thought it was perfectly clear?" Miroku asked with a slight narrowing of her eyes.

"It is. That's why I am here. Originally, me and Shion were supposed to have met from time to time when we were children. That obviously never happened, so I don't know anything about her and vice versa. Luckily the section is optional, but recommended. My father wished the solidify the alliance with a marriage, though both him and you had left the provision of letting us choose to be married or not." Naruto said causing Shion to look up startled at the information. If she wanted, she could choose not the marry him!

"That's right. Are you here to say that you do not wish to marry my daughter?" Miroku asked with a slightly cold tone of a woman thinking that her daughter was being slighted.

"Not at all. My parents wanted the marriage, and I would abide by their will as long as Shion is in agreement. It is only up to Shion to finalize the decision." Naruto said causing Miroku to smile as Naruto turned to Shion and said, "I would advise you to think deeply about it Shion-hime. I am under the Clan Restoration Act and am forced to take multiple women as my wives. Two of whom has already been selected."

Shion thought for a few moments before saying, "I was quite against the marriage at first. I only knew that a young Daimyō was to be my future husband. I had expected someone much older, probably in their late twenties early thirties. To find that you are roughly my age is quite pleasant, but I would like some time to decide whether I will marry you or not. Instead, I would like to get to know you a bit better before I make my decision. I would also like to meet your other fiancée before deciding. Is that alright with you?"

"That's more than alright. I would have suggested it myself, if you had accepted without more thought."

"That's good Naruto-dono, but I have to ask, you are very busy, so why did you come here yourself and not send a messenger?" Miroku asked with a smile.

"There is another thing I wish to discuss. My Sensei, the Ōgama Sennin, Gamamaru has extremely strong clairvoyant abilities. Much like your, and your daughters own clairvoyant abilities, though he can focus it to search through multiple possibilities. Sensei's powers come from his connection to nature itself, and recently, as my connection to nature grown, I have started having visions as well. Uncontrolled as they are, they are still useful. In time, I expect to become as skilled in far seeing as sensei is. He saw a possibility of Shion learning under us and becoming a formidable far seer in her own right. I came here personally to offer our aid in teaching her. Even if she decides to decline the marriage, the offer to teach her still stands. Sensei, doesn't do anything without reason, even if it is not apparent to anyone other than himself. So him asking me to take this offer to you was shocking. I hope that both of you would consider the offer."

Shion and Miroku were shocked at the revelation. After a few moments of quite silence, Shion spoke up, "But I only see my own death and those around me!"

"That's because you aren't trained enough yet, dear. I can see approaching events when I focus enough, though only a single event, not a collection of possible events, like you said Naruto-dono."

Shion nodded in understanding as Naruto explained, "To Nature, time is irrelevant. Echoes of events that could have happened, have happened or can happen, are always felt by those who are connected to Nature. Gamamaru-sensei and I are interested to see if we can help Shion gain the knowledge to tap into this immense lake of events and witness possibilities without being as connected to Nature as we are."

Miroku nodded before commenting, "So let me guess, you are here to escort her back to Konoha, if she accepts this apprenticeship, even if she declines the marriage?" Naruto nodded causing Miroku to sigh and say, "I must confess, I have already seen Shion training under you, so I had believed that Shion had accepted the marriage. I didn't think of a possible apprenticeship to be the cause as well. And here I got my hopes up, as the only other vision I saw was Shion dying alone at a young age. Murdered by cultists of Mōryō."

"That's a vision I have gotten as well, but I also saw her alive as well while I am fighting a released draconic demon who I believe is Mōryō. I had gone to sensei with this vision and he meditated on it before telling me that the first Shion who died was a bodyguard of her who had used a forbidden technique to permanently transform into her. So, as you can see, the visions aren't absolute. We are interested in helping Shion reach levels in clairvoyance that only the Great Sages exhibit."

"You have given us much to think about Naruto-dono. From my vison, I have seen you leaving the day after tomorrow for Kumo. May we give you the answer tomorrow evening?"

"I already know the answer, but you can confirm it tomorrow at dinner, if you wish." Naruto said with a mischievous grin right before Karin said, "Naruto, my Ketsueki Bunshin contacted me. It seems that we need to head to Uzu no Kuni on the way to Kumo. It seems that the basic rebuilding of the village is done, but no one can access many parts of the village and no one dares to approach the palace because of the blood seals."

"Why do we need to head there? I will send a Ketsueki Bunshin there Karin."

"Oh right! I completely forgot."

Turning back to Miroku and Shion, Naruto said, "A good night to you both. It seems that I have to create another Ketsueki Bunshin, and it takes time to prepare the jutsu, so if you will excuse me…"

"Of course Naruto-dono. We will see you in the morning. Come Shion, we must discuss much in private!"

As Miroku stood up to leave, Shion followed and before leaving the girl bowed to Naruto and wishing him and Karin a good night, straightened up and left. Naruto and Karin following their example, and left for their assigned quarters.

* * *

"Shion, don't cause problems for Naruto-dono and his group!" Miroku said with a teasing smile.

"What do you think I will do Haha-ue?" Shion asked with a scowl.

"Let me see… Escaping your guard. Throwing tantrums when you don't get what you want. Running your mouth before thinking of the consequences. Shall I go on?"

Shion blushed in humiliation as Naruto chuckled and said, "I doubt that she can hide her presence from me or Karin, and getting out of our range before we discover her missing is a moot point as Karin can sense up to ten miles out while I can sense up to a hundred. No shinobi can cover that much distance before they are discovered, let alone a civilian."

Shion pouted at the discussion before saying, "Do you really think I will do that again?"

Everyone turned to the girl and said in a monotone, "Yes!"

"I was angry with Haha-ue!" Shion growled out causing Karin to say, "Then we need to make sure that we don't anger you. We don't need any more, deadly disappearing acts!"

While Karin said that with a teasing grin, the underlying reminder was still there. It was her actions that had led to Taruho and herself nearly losing their lives. If Naruto, Karin and Suiren didn't appear in time, she didn't want to think what could have happened.

"Cheer up. I am sure that you would like to see the world after being cooped up in the Temple Complex and the Palace for all of your life Shion-hime!" Suiren said with a cheerful grin before she focused her concentration and created a crystal brooch in the shape of Tartarian Aster flower in violet and yellow colouration. "And a gift for you. If you feel you are in danger, just channel a bit of chakra into it and I will be alerted."

Shion took the small offered brooch with a smile and said, "Thank you. It is beautiful. May I ask how it will alert you, if I channel my chakra into it?"

"It is created by me and has a bit of my own life force within it. That link will alert me."

"Shion, may I have the brooch for a moment?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"Sure, but why?" Shion asked with confusion as she handed the crystal brooch to Naruto.

Naruto just smiled and said, "I am just adding a Hiraishin beacon seal to it. If you channel chakra into it, I will be alerted and can teleport to you in a blink of an eye."

Shion blushed at the implications as she took back the brooch and placed it on her kimono before turning to both and said, "I will treasure this gift always. It is the first time someone has given me a gift with the thought of my safety in mind."

"Alright, all of you. I will summon a toad to ride on until we reach the border outpost between Kusa no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. We will stay the night there before heading off again. KUCHIYOSE: GAMANATSU!" Naruto exclaimed as he summoned a large blue-green toad with very streamline body.

"Yo, Naruto-sama! Where to?"

"Hey Natsu, we need to head to the Border Outpost between Kusa and Hi. I want you to pass through Mori no Kuni, into Tsuchi no Kuni and then turn back to Kusa and finally Hi. Avoiding Ame is imperative. Can you get us there by night fall?"

"Night fall? Who do you take me for, Gamafuyu? I will make it by late afternoon! Hop on everyone!" Gamanatsu said with pride.

Naruto just chuckled as he picked up Shion and jumped up onto Gamanatsu's head with Karin, Suiren and Zabuza following his example. Placing Shion upright on her feet, Naruto nodded to Suiren and Karin, causing the girls to move to stand beside the girl and placed their arms around her waist to hold her in place.

"Alright everyone, use your chakra to hold on tight, or I won't be responsible if you fly off." Shion looked startled at the information but realised that Suiren and Karin were holding her as she couldn't do that. Naruto turned to Miroku and said, "I hope to see you in Konoha for the Chunnin Exams Finals Miroku-dono!"

"I will be there Naruto-dono. Don't worry about it!"

"Good! Alright Natsu, let's get going!"

"Alright them. Hold on for your lives, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" Natsu exclaimed right before leaping high into the sky. All Miroku heard was the whistling of the wind and the screams of Shion, Suiren and Karin."

* * *

A squad of Iwa shinobi were patrolling the border between Tsuchi and Ame when they saw a gigantic blue-green toad leaping towards them. Three panicked and prepared to strike at the toad but their leader stopped them before they could start an international incident.

With a pale face, the leader said, "Don't be foolish. The toad is a carrier. It is carrying people somewhere. Besides it isn't headed towards Iwa. The path is curving towards Kusa. And do you even know who summons toads?"

"Everyone knows that Taicho. Jiraiya of the Sannin and Uzumaki… Naruto…" The man trailed of in realization and paled in fear when he caught the blond hair of the shinobi standing on top of the toad. Behind him were three girls and finally behind them, the man recognized Zabuza. "Uzumaki Naruto and Momochi Zabuza are on it!"

The other three paled in fear and quickly all four scrambled to hide before they were spotted. They had just barely hidden themselves when the toad flew above them. A faint voice belonging to a young boy was heard saying, "You need to re-read the Bingo Book boys. I knew you were there before you noticed us!"

Two of them fainted in shock while the third asked the captain, "Taicho, do you have a new bingo book on you?"

"Yeah!" He said handing it to the other man and waited for him to read it. After a few moments, the man fainted in shock. Fear clearly exhibited on his face. The captain sighed and picked up the book and read the entry before he too fell unconscious with only a single thought. Naruto felt them preparing to strike out at him before he stopped his men!

* * *

"I can see Natsu moving towards Kumo, Jiraiya. Do you want me to join up with them?"

"I would like that Fuyu. It seems that he is in a great hurry. We need to see why."

"As you wish Jiraiya," Fuyu said as he quickened his pace to intercept the Gamanatsu before he moved too far away.

"Jiraiya, Fuyu! Get out of the way. I need to reach Kumo by nightfall!" Natsu exclaimed as Fuyu and Jiraiya reached the place Natsu had landed.

"Wait up Natsu. I am sure you can still make it to Kumo by nightfall, even if we take a bit of time to catch up with Fuyu and Jiraiya." Naruto said as he jumped off Natsu's head and landed right beside Jiriaya on Fuyu's head.

"What's the hurry Naruto? From the looks on the girls faces, they don't look like they enjoyed the ride!" Jiraiya said with a grin.

"You both are crazy! How the hell can anyone enjoy such a wild ride!" Karin exclaimed in anger, her face flushed red giving her the appearance of a tomato. Seeing her like that reminded Jiraiya of Kushina right before he was clobbered, so he decided to hold back the retort he was about to make and turned to Zabuza.

"What about you Zabuza?"

"Not as pleasing as I expected, but as a shinobi, I will endure it for my mission. Though I worry about the condition Shion-hime is in. Her stomach doesn't look like it is agreeing with her tough exterior." Zabuza said with a nod at the Miko-in-training, who was holding her mouth, trying not to barf.

"I completely forgot that. Sorry Shion I should have thought of that, but you should have told me. I would have applied a seal to counteract the gravitational effects." Naruto said as he jumped back onto Natsu's head and placed a hand on Shion's forehead before retracting it. A small Uzumaki swirl formed on her forehead before branching out all over her face and down her neck. Most assumed that it was also extending all across her body hidden behind her clothes.

"So Naruto, what's the rush?"

"Nothing. I just wish to head to Kumo to discuss the treaty with Uzu they are offering. I didn't feel like leaving it hanging for after the Chunnin Exams. They treaty may come in handy, as you know. Anyway Jiraiya, this is Shion. The daughter of Miroku-dono and heiress to the Throne of Oni no Kuni. She is the one Gamamaru-sensei was speaking of."

"Ah right. I believe Minato was in talks with Miroku-sama about a treaty and a possible marriage contract. Nice to meet you Shion-hime. Let me tell you. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Like wise Gama Sannin. There are rumours that you are Naruto-sama's Kyōfu. Is it true?"

"Very true, though to protect him, I had to abscond from his life until recently. Naruto, you should warn Ē while you are at Kumo. He should bring his brother with his regular guards. Manda and a few of his fanatic followers have decided to become contracted to Orochimaru. The Snake Summons has exiled them, but like all rogues, the will still cause problems."

"Thanks for the info Jiraiya. We need to get moving now. How long will you stay in Konoha?"

"About a week before leaving again. I will be back by the time the second phase of the Chunnin Exams end."

"Hey Naruto-kun, what about our seals?" Karin asked with a pout, trying to convince Naruto with her cuteness.

"Very cute Itoko, but you will have to try harder. Besides…"

"You are a shinobi. The life of a shinobi is about endurance. It is your duty to endure for the sake of the mission and the good of your country and allies! Suck it up and endure!" Jiraiya exclaimed with Naruto and Zabuza nodding in agreement.

"Oh well, can't blame a girl for trying." Karin said with a chuckle as she caught hold of Shion's waist again with Suiren doing the same as Jiraiya jumped back to stand atop Gamafuyu's head.

"See you later Naruto, everyone!" Jiraiya said as everyone nodded in farewell before Jiraiya turned back to Fuyu and said, "Alright Fuyu. Let's get going!"

"I will see you back home Natsu! We should have a race to see who is the fastest now. I have been training bro!" Fuyu said as he jumped on towards Konoha.

Natsu just chuckled and said, "Hold on tight, because here I go!"

With that Shion, Karin and Suiren screamed again as Natsu went flying high into the sky with a great leap, destination being Kumo!

* * *

"Can you please repeat that Patrol Unit 23? I am not sure I heard you right. Over!" The kunoichi sitting in front of the long range radio asked with shock.

"Repeating command… Patrol Unit 7 relayed message from Patrol Unit 2… Uzumaki Naruto and four others are headed towards Kumo riding a large blue-green toad with a streamline body structure. ETA three hours. Over!" The voice of a man said over the radio.

The kunoichi quickly wrote down the message and pressed the answer button, "Got that Patrol Unit 7. You may return back to your duties. Over!"

"As you wish Command! Over and Out!" The man said before cutting the connection. The woman slumped into her seat for a few moments before straightening up and called out, "You, Rookie. Take over for me. I need to meet Raikage-sama immediately!"

The rookie looked startled as his commanding officer rushed out of the room without a second glance with a note in her hand. The Commander of the Communications Department rushed through the building to the Raikage's office at the top of the building.

As the woman approached the Raikage's office, his secretary Mabui stood up and said, "The Raikage is in a meeting at the moment. You will have to wait an hour before you can meet him."

"Can it Mabui. I have a message that need to be given to Raikage-sama immediately!" Mabui narrowed her eyes at her old classmate. Neither got along well, but Mabui knew that she wasn't someone to blow something out of proportions.

"It better not be something mundane Kagami, or it will be your head." Mabui said as she walked out from behind her desk and approached the door. Opening the door, Mabui poked her head in for a few moments before retracting it and motioned for Kagami to enter.

Kagari nodded to Mabui and entered the office and saw that the Raikage was sitting behind his desk with Shee, Darui, Kirabi, Yugito, and Team Kirabi sitting in front of his desk or standing around the office.

"What is the meaning of this interruption Kagari? What message could be so important, that it couldn't wait another hour?" Ē asked with a glower.

Kagari gulped before she straightened her back and walked up to the desk and handed him the note. Ē raised an eyebrow before reading the message. Placing the message on the desk, Ē nodded to Kagari and dismissed her with a wave of his arm. Kagari bowed and walked back to the door, intent on leaving before she angered her short tempered Kage. Just before Kagari left the room, she heard Kirabi, Yugito and Shee gasp before saying, "Kyūbi is close!"

* * *

"How close Shee?" Ē asked with a frown. The message said that they were roughly three hours away.

"They seem to be approaching at civilian speeds, so I would say about ten minutes."

"Bee, Yugito. You two go and await his arrival. I believe that he is here to discuss the treaty and the marriage proposal. Better yet, all of us will go. Darui, Shee, alert everyone. Naruto-dono and his group are to be showed the utmost respect. Anyone who so much as glares at them is to be imprisoned! Spread the word!"

"Hai Raikage-sama!" Shee said while Darui just nodded as both vanished in puffs of smoke.

"Yugito, Samui, you two be especially pleasant. Both of you have a reputation of insulting and demeaning any suitor. We cannot afford to alienate him. If we do, then my plans to forge a lasting alliance treaty with Uzu and through them Konoha will go up in smoke!"

"No need to worry, while you have Kirabi!"

"And you keep your rapping to a minimum! In fact, don't speak at all unless necessary!" Ē growled out as a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Now, Karui, Omoi. You two along with Samui will be their guides while in Kumo. make sure to behave in a manner befitting Genin of Kumo!"

"Hai Raikage-sama!" Karui said with a bow.

"As you wish Raikage-sama. Besides if we don't, we may inadvertently anger Uzumaki-sama, that will lead to a declaration of war between Uzu and Kumo. The war will then draw in our enemies to side with Uzu. In the end, Kumo will be destroyed!" Karui would have stopped him but decided not to as that kind of behaviour before her Kage was inacceptable to her.

"Omoi. Please give your mind some rest and stop overthinking things. Now let's go." Ē said with a sigh as he stood up and headed towards the door to his office. Mabui looked surprised at the Raikage suddenly using the door to exit. "Come on Mabui. We need to go greet Naruto-dono and his entourage at the gates. Darui and Shee should have already spread the news and my orders. And make sure to remind me that Kagari is due a bonus."

"Ah… Alright Raikage-sama!" Mabui said with a blink of her eyes. She was completely surprised at both the news and the Raikage's sudden use of the door, even though he was quite excited.

* * *

"Kaminari no Kuni is quite beautiful!" Shion exclaimed as she looked around her, staring at the large number of mountains and hills surrounding the path they were following. The path itself was carved out of the face of sheer cliffs.

"I will say. I used to think that Nami was beautiful before Gato took over. This is truly a beautiful place. The sunrises and sunsets would be very beautiful to watch." Suiren said with a smile.

"Kusa was such a drab place. Long grass, as high as men are tall. I used to feel like an over grown ant. Now witnessing, these mountains make me feel like my existence has no meaning to the greater world."

"And you said that the trees around Konoha made you feel small, Karin-chan!" Suiren said with a teasing tone.

"Quiet! I believe we aren't alone any longer!" Zabuza said as he looked up towards the bluffs above their heads. The Suiren and Shion looked up with Zabuza but Karin frowned before focusing her mind to search for the presences. After a few moments she said, "That can't be right. I can't feel any presence from them, yet we don't seem to be under a genjutsu."

"You would have picked up on the barrier, if you had split your concentration Karin. I see that you need to train your sensory perception more. That will be remedied when we return to Konoha. As for the presence, there are none and we aren't in a standard genjutsu. The barrier is designed to create a feeling of being watched. A beautiful use of a genjutsu seal. Kumo was also alerted to our presence when we passed the barrier. We are going to reach the gates soon."

"A Genjutsu Seal? I thought that they were highly unstable and has no way of keying someone into the barriers the seal creates there by affecting, allies and enemies equally."

"That they do, but this is the route for visitors. You don't think they would use the same road for their shinobi do you?" Naruto said as they finally came in sight of the gates. Karin shuddered as the feeling suddenly vanished and she could feel the barrier they passed through.

"I see what you mean. That was an unpleasant experience."

"It was meant to be Karin. That is the first line of defence. A good one as well. Ibiki would love it." Naruto said causing Zabuza to chuckle and say, "That sadist would love anything that plays around with the mind."

"I see that your knowledge of seal has increased since we last met Naruto-dono. You are right in that the defence is a Genjutsu Seal, but may I ask how you know of the secret path?"

"It is only logical that there would be a second path used by the shinobi. Besides I can sense the shinobi traffic a couple of hundred feet to the southwest of here."

"Damn presence suppression barriers. They just don't work as well as I hoped. You are really good. Welcome to Kumo."

"It is a pleasure to be here Ē-dono. This young lady is Shion, the Princess of Oni no Kuni. The blue haired young lady is Makesshō Suiren, head of the Noble Makesshō clan of Uzu and a student of mine. The other young lady, the one with red hair and eyes, is my cousin and the heiress presumptive to the throne of Uzu, Uzumaki Karin. I am sure that Zabuza over there need no introduction."

"Indeed not. The Kirigakure no Kijin, though I believe that everyone is starting to call you the Uzu no Kijin. Welcome to Kumo. Please keep your sword sealed while in the village. As to you ladies, I welcome you to Kumo and wish you all a pleasant stay."

Zabuza nodded while Shion spoke up for the girls, "Thank you for your kind words Raikage-sama. I speak for all three of us when I say that it is nice to be here and that your village is most spectacular."

Ē nodded with a smile before saying, "This is my brother and Jinchūriki of the Hachibi, Kirabi."

"Yo yo yo, nice to meet you yo!" Kirabi said causing everyone but Naruto to sweat drop at the horrible rap.

"Nice to meet you as well Kirabi," Naruto said as he raised his fist to Kirabi, surprising everyone there. Kirabi just smile and knocked fists with him for a moment before frowning.

"Are you sure Nine?"

"Very Eight!"

"What's going on?" Ē asked with a frown.

"Something between us Jinchūriki and our Bijū. We will tell you later, when there are less chances of us being overheard." Naruto said with Bee nodding in agreement causing Ē to reluctantly agree.

"This is Nii Yugito, my niece and the Jinchūriki of the Nibi."

"Nice to meet you Naruto-sama!" Yugito said with a slight bow when Naruto raised his fist to her as well. At first she hesitated, suspicious of the raised fist, but decided that it was a harmless gesture and bumped her fist with his. It was a life changing event for her.

Yugito stumbled causing Naruto and Kirabi to catch her before she fell. She looked up with wide eyes, shock clearly visible in her eyes. "You alright Yugito?"

Ē asked with surprise. Yugito was not someone to be effected like that. what really happened between Jinchūriki when they fist bumped? Yugito straightened up as she schooled her features and said, "I will be alright Raikage-sama. The transfer of memories and thoughts between us just took me by surprise. Why didn't you ever use this method Bee?"

"Because I didn't know of it until now!"

"It is a ninshu technique that can be learned by anyone. A very fast way to transfer knowledge of events and communicate. No chance of lying as well." Naruto said with a chuckled, "Besides, we Jinchūriki can use it instinctively because that's how we really communicate with our Bijū."

Everyone nodded to what Naruto said before Ē continued, "This is my Secretary, Mabui."

"It is an honour to meet you Naruto-sama!" Mabui said with a bow. Naruto just nodded with a smile in acknowledgement.

"The young blonde is my niece, Nii Samui. The red-haired girl with a dark complexion is Karui. The boy sucking on a lollypop is Omoi. Together they are the Genin Team of Kirabi and from time-to-time, Yugito steps in as intermediate Jōnin Sensei."

All three bowed to Naruto and as one said, "Welcome to Kumo, Naruto-sama and friends! We hope that you have a pleasant stay with us."

Naruto nodded to the group and said, "Thank you. Are you three taking the Chunnin Exams this time at Konoha?"

Before the three surprised Genin could answer, Ē said, "That's right. They are the best we have. With them, we are going to be sending three more teams, though I expect at least one of them to make it to the finals."

The three Genin blushed at the praise from their Kage as Naruto said, "That's good, because I have a warning for them. All three of you, I can sense more than adequate chakra reserves and by the flow of the chakra in your coils, I would say that you are very skilled. Don't underestimate the Rookies from Konoha. I have personally trained each and every one of them and one is my apprentice. Sarutobi Konohamaru is only ten, but if any of you face him, go all out or be humiliated. For a shinobi, nothing is as it seems!"

Ē chuckled and said, "Wise words Naruto-dono. Heed his words you three. Now, while you are in Kumo, Karui and Omoi will be your guides. If you need anything, just ask one of them."

"We will be sure to do as asked Ē-dono."

"Now, I am sure that you all travelled a long distance, so these two will escort you to the quarters we have prepared for your arrival. I am sure you remember them, but I will introduce them again. These are Darui and Shee. Two of the best Jōnin Kumo has and my personal bodyguards."

"Good to see you again Darui, Shee. Hope you haven't had major problems on your missions lately."

"Not at all Naruto-sama." Shee said with a smile.

"But it seems that you have been solving one after another. Eh, Naruto-sama?" Darui said with a laid-back grin.

"That I have. Good night to all of you. Ē-dono, I would like an audience with you first thing in the morning. There is much we need to discuss. Yugito-san and Samui-san should be present, as well as Bee."

"Of course Naruto-dono. Have a restful night!" Ē said before he, Team Kirabi, Mabui and Kirabi left using Shunshin.

"If you would please follow us…" Darui said as he waited for Naruto to give him permission. Naruto nodded causing Darui to turn and walk towards the hotel where important dignitaries and their entourage were usually housed in Kumo.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Miko = Priestess_**

 ** _Iryōnin = Medical Ninja_**

 ** _Ōgama Sennin = Great Toad Sage_**

 ** _Haha-ue = Honourable Mother_**

 ** _Kusa no Kuni = Land of Grass_**

 ** _Hi no Kuni = Land of Fire_**

 ** _Mori no Kuni = Land of Woods_**

 ** _Tsuchi no Kuni = Land of Earth_**

 ** _Taicho = Captain_**

 ** _Kyōfu = Godfather_**

 ** _Itoko = Cousin_**

 ** _Kirigakure no Kijin = Demon of the Hidden Mist_**

 ** _Uzu no Kijin = Demon of the Whirlpool_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Chōjū Giga = Super Beast Imitation_**

 _ **Rasengan = Spiraling Sphere**_

 ** _Fūinjutsu = Sealing Arts_**

 ** _Kongō Fūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains_**

 ** _Ketsueki Bunshin = Blood Clone_**

 ** _Hiraishin = Flying Thunder God_**

 ** _Kuchiyose: Gamanatsu = Summoning: Gamanatsu_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flicker_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: OH LOOK! Another early Update. I hope all of you enjoy it! And make sure to leave a comment.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	23. Chapter 22 - Chunin Exam Prelude

**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**

* * *

 _"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 22 – Chunnin Exams Prelude**

Bright and early in the morning, Naruto was sitting on a comfortable lounge chair sipping a cup of hot chocolate. In front of the chair was a large round table. Around the table were other chairs, all of which were occupied. Directly on his left was Kirabi and on his right was Zabuza. Across from him was Ē. On Ē's right was Yugito and on Ē's left was Samui, who looked a bit uncomfortable.

After what felt like hours, Naruto finally finished his cup of hot chocolate and placed the cup on the table with a soft clang. Samui jumped at the noise. "The first thing I wish to discuss is the threat of Akatsuki."

Ē looked confused while Bee and Yugito tensed at the statement. "What do you mean Naruto-dono? I thought that Akatsuki was just a mercenary organization formed by S-Rank Nukenin from various villages. They don't possess any significant threat to any of the major villages."

"Then you are woefully misinformed. In fact, all the villages are misinformed. I have come across an interesting titbit of intelligence on them and their primary goals." Natuto said as Yugito growled while Bee had a dark look on his face. Ē looked at the two with a wary expression as he realized that Naruto had already informed them the moment they met. Before he could comment, Naruto continued, "Their goals are far from benign. I can understand gathering together into a group as a survival tactic, but their main goal is to capture the nine bijū and then seal them into the Gedō Mazō, the husk of the Jūbi."

"What is this Jūbi, Naruto-dono?" Ē asked taking a shaking breath.

"I am sure that you know about the Rikudō Sennin…" Ē nodded as Naruto continued, "The Jūbi is the demonic godlike entity that the Rikudō Sennin and his brother Hamura defeated. Hagoromo-sempai sealed the beast into himself, becoming the first Jinchūriki. On his death bed, Hagoromo-sempai used his immense powers to separate the Jūbi into nine entities. We know them as the Bijū."

Samui, Zabuza and Ē gasped at the revelation before Ē commented, "How do you know so much about the Rikudō Sennin and his history? Nearly all of it is lost to time."

Naruto chuckled, "You forget that my Senjutsu Sensei also taught Hagoromo-sempai and was present during the battle with the Jūbi and at the creation of the Bijū. Gamamaru-sensei is, in fact the eldest living being in existence."

Ē nodded dumbly before saying, "Anyway, back to the matter with the Akatsuki. I can understand that they are targeting the Bijū, but I doubt they have the guts, or the power to attack one of the major villages."

Naruto just shook his head before saying, "One of them has the Rinnegan. Another is Uchiha Itachi. Then there is another Uchiha who goes by the name of Madara and was the one involved with the Kyūbi attack thirteen years ago at Konoha. Then there are Hoshigaki Kisame, Mad Bomber Deidara, Kakuzu of the Jiongu and Akasuna no Sasori. Orochimaru was a former member as well."

Everyone was gaping at the information, even Kirabi, who had survived Akastuki's attempts to capture him. "You say they don't have the guts to attack one of the major villages, I call bullshit! They have already done it. Besides the one calling himself Madara had Yagura under a powerful sharingan genjutsu as well, and was controlling Kiri during all of Yagura reign. The one with the Rinnegan, though haven't really moved yet, but he was the one who defeated Hanzo the Salamander, singlehandedly as well. It is my belief and that of Gamamaru-sensei that Uzumaki Nagato can singlehandedly destroy any of the villages without even trying. The threat of Akatsuki is far more real than you think. If it comes to a fight between me and Akatsuki, I am unsure that I would be able to defeat all of them before the collateral damage becomes too much."

Everyone looked at Naruto with scared expressions. Naruto, the one being regarded as another God of Shinobi was not confident that he would be able to take on Akatsuki alone, but then again, he did say that was only because he was more concerned with the collateral damage the battle would cause.

"What do you propose we do?"

"Prepare for the inevitable war that is coming. All of our nations need to learn to set aside our differences and work together. only by working together can we hope to succeed. As for Akatsuki, I have already taken steps to minimize their capabilities. I was able to use a Uzumaki Kinjutsu Seal to subvert the loyalty of one of their members. Itachi is not really a traitor, just deep undercover and will be recalled soon. The Rinnegan wielder, Nagato should side with us. I have already approached him, and hope that he will have a favorable response to my proposal, as he is an Uzumaki. The danger will be the one calling himself Madara. He is the true mastermind behind their goals."

"Are you sure that this Nagato will side with his family?"

"If he doesn't, then I will have no choice but to eliminate him as a traitor to the Clan, but I doubt it will come to that. He only wishes for peace, but Madara has been twisting Nagato's desires to his own advantage. I believe that Nagato can be brought back to the light. He was a student of Jiraiya after all. If I succeed, he will be the greatest ally we will have against Akastuki and if I fail to prevent the resurrection of the Jūbi, the monster itself."

Ē nodded but Yugito spoke up, "How sure are you that Nagato can be turned?"

"Eighty percent sure that Nagato will do what is right. Plus, his loyalty should be to his family. It is something that is ingrained in our blood. Family comes first." Yugito nodded as Naruto turned to Ē and said, "Now, the matter of the alliance and the marriage. You have offered me the choice between these two lovely ladies. Why the hell do you wish me to die so badly?"

Zabuza and Kirabi chuckled at Naruto's sudden outburst while Yugito and Samui looked confused before understanding dawned on them, causing them to smile. Ē asked with confusion, "What do you mean Naruto-dono? I don't wish you to die! It would be counterproductive to forming an alliance then."

"You don't understand the position you place me in? I am sure that they already know that the one I choose will be one of my many wives as demanded by the Royal CRA, out of which, two are confirmed and I believe that Shion will accept the contract as well. Do you know what all my girls will do to me if I pick one of them and not the other! What justification would I use?"

"Yo, you can always choose one and let the other marry a friend yo!"

"What?" Naruto exclaimed before Ē said, "That's is quite the good idea. Instead of you having to choose, let the girls decide. I was planning on sending a marriage alliance to Konoha as well, so a prominent clan heir can marry one girl and you the other!"

Samui looked like she would rebel but Yugito looked intrigued. "Raikage-sama, no matter what both of us are going to be in political marriages, so I think that is a good idea that we get to choose our future husband. I am not averse to marrying Naruto-sama, but from what I see of Naruto-sama's personality, Samui would be a poor choice, with her cold behavior, especially since she tends to get irritated with jokes. I mean no offence Samui, but you know that what I say is true. Besides, I think that I would be a better match as we have common ground between us."

Everyone nodded though Naruto picked up a bit of jealousy from Samui for a second before affection towards Yugito overshadowed it. For the first time, Samui spoke up, "I think that Yugito-nē is right. I would be a poor match and I thank you for allowing me to choose my husband."

Ē patted Samui on the head before addressing Naruto, "Who would you recommend amongst the clan heirs of Konoha as a good groom for Samui, Naruto-dono?"

Naruto thought for a moment before saying, "The only possible candidates I would recommend would be Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru, though if you choose Sasuke, you should know that he is also under the CRA and will need to take multiple wives."

"Thank you for the information Naruto-sama. When I go to Konoha for the Chunnin Exams, I will endeavor to get to know both so that I can make my choice."

"Speaking of the Chunnin Exams, we have intel that Orochimaru and his newly founded Otogakure plans to invade Konoha during the finals, so I would advise that you bring the Kirabi with you." Naruto said with Ē and Bee nodding in agreement.

"Yo yo yo, what about an exhibition match bro?" Bee said with an eager expression on his face.

"I don't think Konoha would allow you and Naruto to have a full out Exhibition match Bee. No one wants to see two Bijū battle it out in their village." Ē growled out at Bee only for Naruto to chuckle and comment, "What about we don't use Bijū mode, but use everything else?"

"And get pulverized by senjutsu, hell no!" Kirabi said with a shiver.

"Then what about the A-B combo verses the son of the Yellow Flash? I promise to only use Ninshu and Fuinjutsu. Need to keep up my stamina for the war with Oto."

"Then Bee will only be using the version two cloak and no Bijūdama. It will be like facing against your father again, only this time, it will be for a friendly spar. You can use the Hiraishin, right?"

"I can, but prefer to use a new teleportation technique I am developing from an older supplemental seal the Kagura Shigan users from my clan used to use to move about quickly. I think that the match against you both would be the best time to reveal this technique."

Ē and Bee grinned at the prospect of facing off against Naruto using teleportation techniques. It would be a thrill to battle someone that fast again. Naruto cleared his throat and said, "The treaty documents are sound, and I will sign them the day you arrive at Konoha. We can have a celebration, and Moka-ōbasama won't have any pretext to complain!"

"Moka-sama does hate parties, doesn't she?" Zabuza said with a chuckle.

"Not exactly, she just doesn't like us throwing parties without a proper reason. A party is due anyways. You can stay with me at the Uzu Compound for your stay. In fact, I insist."

"It would be an honor Naruto-dono." Ē said with a nod.

"Now before we end this meeting, I need to inform you that we shall need to head out tomorrow morning. I was chosen as one of the planners for the Chunnin Exams and need to personally be in Konoha a week before it starts."

"I can understand the responsibility Naruto-dono, may I suggest that Team Kirabi heads out with you, led by Yugito? It would give both girls more time to get to know you and for Samui to get better acquainted with her prospective husband?"

"I have no problems with that. But first, Yugito. I know that you are choosing me out of obligation, but if you truly don't want to marry me, I will still go ahead with the alliance, just with the marriage clause voided. I am sure that I can convince the Hokage and Hideyoshi-jiji to the same deal for Samui."

Yugito and Samui looked startled at the statement but Ē chuckled and said, "Honorable of you Naruto-dono, but I hope that the marriages go through. A stronger bond is better, no?"

Naruto nodded before standing up with Zabuza following his example. "Thank you for your time Ē-dono. Bee, Yugito, I would like it if would come to the joint mindscape for a meeting between our Bijū and us this evening."

With his piece said, Naruto and Zabuza vanished in a flash of yellow. Their destination, Shion.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Kirabi and Yugito started meditating. After a few moments, they appeared in place, standing at the feet of their respective Bijū. Looking around, they saw that nearly all of the Bijū were present, only Shukaku, the Ichibi was missing. All the respective Jinchūriki were present as well.

"You know one thing, why the hell did it take so long for me to get my future memories?" Fū groused out in annoyance as all her fellow Jinchūriki and their Bijū chuckled at the girl's expense.

Chomei sighed before saying, "Fū, the only reason it took so long for you to get your memories was because you weren't as synchronized with me as the others are with their Bijū. Naruto-kun, just ignore my Jinchūriki and start the meeting." Fū huffed as Naruto nodded.

"As you know, I have already made preparations to handle the Akatsuki situation. You all know how dangerous they are, and the kind of damage their Tsuki no Me plan could do. Out of all of us, only I and Bee, with our Bijū have faced the wrath of the Jūbi. I will now share my memories of the beast."

With his piece said, Naruto concentrated on the last memories he had of the future and then using ninshu, transferred the memory to his fellow Jinchūriki. An uncomfortable silence filled the area, as the other Jinchūriki processed the horrifying memories.

After an inordinate amount of time, Yagura was the first to speak. "We cannot allow such a demon to be resurrected. I propose we start our own group to oppose the Akatsuki. We hunt the bastards down in pairs."

"Gaara no Sabaku and Shukaku will be joining us soon. One of us won't have a partner in such a case." Yugito said with a frown.

"Naruto-sama is the strongest of us, I will bet my right arm that he can easily defeat a pair of Akatsuki without even using Kurama's power!" Han said only for Bee to counter him.

"While Naruto-sama is powerful, no doubt about it, he is still vulnerable to being overwhelmed. Besides, some of the members Akatsuki are hidden allies. Naruto-sama, if you would please elaborate."

"First of all, outside formal occasions, I don't subscribe to formalities. All of you can call me whatever you want, though I would prefer something personal. After all, we are connected by the bond of Jinchūriki. Now, Uchiha Itachi is actually a spy in Akatsuki. Other than that, I believe that I can get to Pein and have him realize the mistakes he is making before it is too late." Naruto raised a hand to forstall Utakata's complaint. "I know that he was the one to take you down last time Utakata, but we must not allow the non-existent future to make judgements for us."

"Not to mention that Naruto defeated Pein with only his basic senjutus last time before making the cripple have a change of heart. Pein had revived all the lives lost when Akatsuki invaded Konoha at the cost of his own life."

"Thank you Kurama. Anyway, we need Pein alive. His death will allow Obito to easily get the Rinnegan. We must prevent that scenario at all costs!"

"I agree. A Dojutsu like the Rinnegan shouldn't fall into the hands of the wicked, and this Obito seems to be as wicked as they come." Yagura agreed with the rest of the Jinchūriki and all the Bijū nodding in agreement.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Bee asked, "When will Shukaku and Kazekage-sama be joining us?"

"He should be in Konoha by the end of the week. I will remind him and Shukaku before calling a meeting. Now before we leave, Goku, I have been wondering. Do you think it possible for you to learn Earth Bending? You are the only one other than Shukaku who has a humanoid body to help the learning progress."

Goku thought for a moment before saying, "I will see what I come up with. Not like I have much to do anyways. It will be a good project to work on."

Naruto nodded before addressing everyone, "Then wait for my signal. We will have the final member with us then. Goodnight everyone, and make sure to keep an eye out for suspicious characters in your own villages. Akasuna no Sasori has quite the number of informants."

"Before we go, I have a warning. Be careful Naruto-sama, as it seems that the Tsuchikage wishes to form an alliance with you through marriage."

"Please tell me that it isn't who I think it is Roshi!" Naruto asked with a groan. If his suspicions were correct, then he would probably have a new fiancée. One who was both highly competitive and highly volatile. The worst thing was that he wouldn't even be able to reject the marriage without souring the already tentative relationship between Iwa and Konoha and her allies.

"If it is Kurotsuchi you are thinking about, then I am sorry to say that you are correct in your assumption. Don't worry Naruto-sama. The girl may be rough on the outside, she is a great big softy on the inside, though I would say that she is a tsundere at heart!"

Yugito, Fū and their Bijū started giggling at the predicament Naruto found himself in. After calming down, Yugito asked with a teasing tone, "Oh my, it seems that you are collecting quite the harem Naruto-kun."

Naruto blush in embarrassment before quickly offering a thanks to Roshi before disappearing from the joint mindscape. As Kurama was slowly fading away, the old fox left with a single warning.

"Be careful not to tease him too much. You won't like the consequences, much like the Hyūga Clan found out. That too while Naruto was an Academy Student."

"Hmm... I heard that he was a notorious prankster and was known to be able to infiltrate and prank ANBU HQ, but I thought everyone was pulling my leg." Fū commented before bidding her farewell and leaving with Chomei.

* * *

Outside the main gates of Konoha, was a large clearing, perfectly visible from the gates. As Kotetsu and Izumo watched from the gate house, playing cards, a massive group suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Usually such an event would have caused the two eternal Chunnin gate guards to be alarmed, were it not for the fact that nearly all of the members of the arriving group were covered in bubbling red chakra cloaks, with the soul exception of one who was instantly recognizable by the two. In front of the group was Naruto engulfed in a golden chakra cloak.

"Yo Naruto-sama! Had a good trip?" Kotetsu asked placing his hand of cards down on the table.

"Quite well Kotetsu. My companions from Kumo are here for both the Chunnin Exams and diplomatic reasons, so they will be residing in the Uzumaki Compound." Naruto said as Kotetsu and Izumo nodded before the blonde Jinchūriki addressed his group. "Zabuza, please escort everyone to the compound while I take Shion, Yugito and Samui to meet with Hokage-dono."

"Right away Naruto-sama. Alright gakis, get logged in and follow me! Yes, that means you Karin."

"Why does Naruto-kun get to bypass the login and not me?" Karin complained only for Naruto to remark, "Because you don't have free travel rights. All done girls?"

"Hai!" All three aforementioned girls nodded as Yugito finished signing in to the Konoha visitor directory, all three of them still having the chakra cloaks around them. Naruto nodded to the gate guards before he and the three girls vanished into thin air.

* * *

"You are to take over as Hokage soon, Naruto-kun. So I believe that it is your prerogative to decided, if you wish to accept Raikage-dono's proposal or not. Nii Samui-chan, I don't mean to be insulting, but my time as Hokage is nearly up. I would advise you to get aquatinted with the prospects and let Naruto-kun know. He will be the one to make the final decision."

Samui and Yugito were caught off guard at the admission from the old Hokage, but the younger of the pair bowed and said, "It is what I would prefer Hokage-sama. Until the Chunnin Exams start, I will endeavor to get aquatinted with both prospects before letting Naruto-sama know of my decision."

Hiruzen nodded before saying, "Please keep the information of my retirement to yourselves. The official announcement will occur during the final stage of the Chunnin Exams."

"Of course Hokage-sama. We will keep your confidence." Yugito said for both herself and her cousin.

"Good, now you two are dismissed. Neko, please escort them to the Uzumaki Compound."

"At once Hokage-sama!" Neko said dropping down from the ceiling.

After the two Kumo kunoichi were gone, Hiruzen turned to Shion with a smile on his face. "It is a pleasure to have you here Shion-hime. Please make yourself at home in my beautiful village."

Shion bowed in respect as she replied with a smile, "It is a pleasure to be here Hokage-sama. If I may be so bold, may I ask why you wish to retire so soon?"

"Not at all Shion-hime. I am just feeling my age these days. With what skills Naruto-kun and his students are displaying, I have come to the conclusion that my time has long since passed. It is time again to pass the torch to the next generation. If you have any questions about the history of Konoha, please don't hesitate to come to me. It would be nice to pass on my knowledge to the next generation, and it will give this old man something to do in his retirement, other than wasting away."

"I doubt you of all people would waste away jiji. Anyway, I will see you tomorrow at the finalizing session. Don't over work yourself!"

Hiruzen saw the teasing smile on Naruto's face and chuckled as he commented, "With the Shadow Clones, I have much more time to rest than before Naruto-kun. You go and introduce your new fiancée to the rest. Oh and Hinata-chan and her team will be back from Nami tomorrow."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What were they doing in Nami?"

"A simple tracking mission. It seems that some remnants of Gato's forces were kidnapping young women. From the preliminary reports, it seems that Hinata-chan didn't take to kindly to that, neither did Kiba-kun. Kurenai states that the two of them massacred the remnants without even blinking. You have done a good job training her Naruto-kun. Hinata-chan is now a perfect kunoichi but still has her kindness."

Naruto nodded before offering his arm to Shion and leading the priestess of Oni no Kuni through a tour of Konoha on their way to the Uzumaki Compound.

* * *

The next morning, all the Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin of Konoha were assembled in a large meeting hall. At the end of the hall, Hiruzen sat behind a large wooden table with Iruka and Naruto. Interestingly, Kakashi was there on time, causing many of the assembled Jōnin to look at the masked man in irrational fear.

"Alright, now that everyone is here. We can finally begin. Now those Jōnin with Genin teams, you have my permission to start nomination of your teams." Hiruzen said which was soon followed by many of the Konoha Jōnin nominating their teams.

Finally, the time came when the Jōnin of the four most prominent Genin teams moved forward. "I, Sarutobi Asuma, Sensei of Team 10 consisting of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams!"

Hiruzen nodded as Naruto said, "Noted, next!"

"I, Maito Gai, Sensei of Team 9 consisting of Higurashi Tenten, Rock Lee and Hyūga Neji, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams!"

"Noted, next!"

"I, Yūhi Kurenai, Sensei of Team 8 consisting of Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams!"

"Noted, next!"

"I, Hatake Kakashi, Sensei of Team 7 consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Sarutobi Konohamaru and Sai, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams."

"Duly noted, next!" After waiting for a few minutes, Naruto said, "Very well. It seems that the nominations are over. Now, as all of you know. This Chunnin Exams are going to be much different from previous ones on the account that all the major villages will be sending teams to this one."

Everyone nodded as Hiruzen continued from where Naruto ended. "Make sure to alert your teams for possible ulterior motives, though I doubt that there will be any this time. The next thing is that Orochimaru has created a hidden village called Otogakure. Keep an eye on all Oto shinobi in Konoha."

"As Hokage-dono said, Oto is to watch out for, but I have reliable intelligence that the Kazekage has sided with Orochimaru and will be leading an assault without the permission of his Daimyō. But fear not, most of the Suna shinobi are only following Rasa out of fear and not loyalty. I have a feeling that if I can turn their Jinchūriki to our side, the whole bulk of the Suna forces will side with us."

"Not to mention that the threat of Naruto's personal retaliation against Suna." Sakura commented causing all the gathered Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin to nod in agreement with the pink haired medic.

"Now that all of you are warned, we shall wait for a few more people to join us for an announcement."

"What announcement Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked with a confused frown.

"You will have to wait a bit longer Kurenai-chan… or not!" Hiruzen said with a smile as the door to the massive hall opened. From the open doors, the Shinobi Clan Heads walked in with the ANBU Commander and the Fire Daimyō with his bodyguards.

"Make the announcement Hiruzen. I need to be back in the capital by sundown!" Hideyoshi said only for Naruto to chuckle and say, "No need to worry about that Hideyoshi-jiji. I will have you back at the capital in a flash!"

"Unfortunately, I will have to decline Naruto-kun. I have to meet up with one of the governors a few miles south of here before returning home."

Naruto nodded as Hiruzen cleared his throat before saying, "I shall be completely stepping down after the Chunnin Exams."

A cacophony of noise erupted from the gathered Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin before Naruto spiked his chakra causing the shinobi and kunoichi to quickly settle down, with a few even feeling a bit faint. Hiruzen nodded to Naruto before addressing the crowd. "Now that you all have voiced your dissent; I will now let my nomination for Hokage be known."

Quite muttering filled the room as everyone discussed the possible candidates, many coming to the conclusion that only Naruto or one of the two Sannin will be chosen.

"Don't you dare name me Sensei!" Tsunade said with a bit of a joking tone in her voice.

"Why not Tsunade? You would make a fine Hokage. Just think of the amount of sake you can drink while trying to forget the burdens of being a leader!" Tsunade blushed at the subtle hit at her bad habit, but before she could comment, Hiruzen continued, "Luckily, neither you nor Jiraiya are the candidates. I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, hereby nominate Uzumaki Naruto as the Godaime Hokage!"

"I, Hideyoshi, the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni, approve the nomination. Let the Jōnin vote commence!" Hideyoshi declared as Iruka stood up.

With an emotionless face, the Chunnin instructor called out, "Those in favor of Uzumaki Naruto being the next Hokage?"

Nearly everyone raised their hands. Iruka quickly counted the number of votes before noting it down. "Alright, everyone against?"

Only Sakura raised her hand. Iruka noted it down as Hideyoshi asked, "May I ask why you would vote against your own friend and mentor?"

"Of course Daimyō-sama. I just think that it would be better if Naruto was out in the field instead of being cooped up in an office. His presence as an active ninja of Konoha is quite the boon."

"Duly noted and I had raised the same question with Hiruzen and Naruto-kun in private. They have given me a favorable answer. Will you please explain Naruto-kun?"

"Of course. Sakura, I will have a Blood Clone handling the administrative duties while I will be out in the field. If I am needed to personally attend to something, I can be here in a flash, as you know. I think that answers your query?"

Sakura nodded before saying, "Then I withdraw my vote and cast it in favor of him becoming Hokage."

Iruka nodded as he changed the vote tally before handing it over to Hiruzen, who looked over the paper before announcing, "By a unanimous vote, Uzumaki Naruto is to be the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. He shall take over the day after the Chunnin Exams Finals. Until then, all strategic and military functions of the office of Hokage will be handled by Naruto while I shall handle economic and administrative functions. Any dissenters?"

Everyone waited for any dissent, but after it was clear that there were none, Hiruzen declared, "There will be a strategic meeting tomorrow at dawn. All Elite Jōnin, the Anbu Commander and the Shinobi Councilors are to be present! Also, this vote is to remain a S-Rank secret until further notice! Now dismissed."

Many of the Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin congratulated Naruto before they left, leaving behind only Tsunade, Sakura, Shizune, the Sensei of the Konoha Twelve and Anko. Hideyoshi, Hiruzen and Iruka quickly leaving the room.

"Anko, get ready to meet your teacher. With the seal removed and your improved skills, I expect that you will be able to hold your own against the snake." Naruto said causing a feral grin to appear on Anko's face.

"Oh, I am sure that me and Sensei will have quite the bit of fun Naruto-kun! Just point me in his direction and stand back!"

"Also, how are the preparations for the second phase coming along?" Naruto asked causing Anko to giggle and say, "With the amount of seal based traps you and your clan has supplied us with, I can already taste the fresh blood!"

"Down girl! Don't traumatize the visiting or even our own Genin!" Kurenai said smacking the snake mistress in the back of her head.

"Mou… you are so mean Nai-chan! I was just planning to view some of the festivities!"

"Congratulations Naruto, I speak for all of us when I say that the post couldn't be given to a better candidate!" Asuma said with Gai, Kakashi, Kurenia and Anko nodding in agreement.

* * *

"Get back here you damn brat!" Karin screamed as she chased Konohamaru down the main road of Konoha. Beside her, her two teammates were running as well, both sporting raging expressions on their faces. All three had orange paint splattering their favorite dresses.

"Come back here Konohamaru! I promise it won't hurt, much!" Haku cooed as she threw a couple of ice senbon at Konohamaru who rolled to the left to dodge them, hoping that none of the icy needles would touch him, as Haku was making quite the name for herself in being a senbon expert.

Suiren was quite, but the cloud of red crystal dust floating around the blue haired girl as a murderous expression graced her normally peaceful face. With a simple wave of her hand, the crystal dust coalesced into five-pointed crimson crystal shuriken before flying towards the fleeing Sarutobi.

Twisting around, Konohamaru focused in between the flying shuriken and caused an explosion to occur using judicious use of Combustion Bending. The explosion caused the crystal shuriken to shatter before disintegrating into red dust and flowing back to join Suiren's floating cloud. As Konohamaru was finishing the twist, he collided with someone throwing both of them to the ground. A flash of yellow and lavender was all Konohamaru was able to discern before he was hoisted off the person he collided with. As he was pulled back, he realized that he had collided with a kunoichi from Suna carrying a massive Tessen on her back and with her blonde hair was hanging down her body from torn ribbons.

"You punk! How dare you run into my sister?" Konohamaru turned to see a boy of about fourteen, wearing a cat suit and war paint on his face, was holding him up, with a murderous expression on his face.

"Kankuro, put him down! We aren't here to cause trouble!" The Kunoichi said standing up before she pulled out ninja wire from her tools pack and used that to quickly tie her hair back into four ponytails. "I am sure that he didn't mean to run into me!"

"That doesn't excuse his actions Temari! He hasn't even apologized to you yet!"

Before Temari could even comment, she felt chains wrap around her. Looking down, she saw that the chains were made of yellow chakra. Across from her, Kankuro felt cold wet needle points touch his throat while glittering dust was wrapped around his arms, slowly crushing them.

"I would advise you to drop him Suna-san! You don't want to cause an international incident, do you? After all, attacking the Hokage's grandson without provocation is grounds for the declaration of war." A cold voice said causing a shiver to run down Kankuro's spine.

Both Kankuro and Temari stared at the source of the voice and saw a haze slowly lifting revealing a black haired girl holding senbon made of ice to Kankuro's throat. Turning her head, Temari saw that that the chains were originating from a red haired, red eyed girl. A final, blue haired girl was standing off to the side with more glittering dust floating around her. All three were sporting hitai-ate, that form the lectures her father had given herself and her siblings, she recognized as Uzu hitai-ate. Then she realized that the boy was also wearing a hitai-ate, though one of Konoha.

Temari gulped in realization that she an Kankuro were both outnumbered and outmatched, especially with the amount of skill the three Uzu Kunoichi displayed in capturing them. Right then, the boy Kankuro was holding broke down into pebbles as the boy appeared beside her with his hands engulfed in flames, pointing it towards Kankuro.

Temari was about to speak, in an attempt to defuse the volatile situation when a sudden pressure fell on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw that all of them were affected. A sudden sound drew her attention to the nearby roof top and saw the boy she identified as Uzumaki Naruto standing there with an Uchiha, from the Sharingan swirling in his eyes and another boy with a glob of ink floating around his head. Temari paled at the realization of the precarious situation she and Kankuro found themselves in, just because of Kankuro's ego.

"STAND DOWN!" Naruto bellowed in a tone full of authority. The Uzu Kunoich quickly withdrew a few paces back and the boy hastily put out the flames before jumping up to stand beside Naruto and the two boys. "Now, that no one is immediate danger of being killed, explain what is happening? Is this the famed hospitality of Konoha and Uzu?"

The three kunoichi bowed their heads in shame while the Hokage's grandson just looked at Naruto with defiance before commenting, "They attacked me! We were just returning the favor?"

Grabbing the boy by the ear, Naruto jumped down with the boy before landing beside Temari. "Don't twist the events Konohamaru. Sasuke, Sai and I were already here for some time now. We witnessed everything that happened. Now apologize to this young lady for running into her!"

Konohamaru looked like he was about to protest before bowing to Temari and said, "I apologize for running into you. In my defense, I was running away from those three monsters!" Before Konohamaru could even blink, Naruto smacked the boy on the head before pointing to the Uzu Kunoichi.

Konohamaru sighed before bowing to the three incensed Kunoichi and said, "Please forgive me for pranking you and calling you monsters!"

The three Kunoichi nodded before Karin stated, "This is the last time we forgive you Konohamaru. Destroy our battle dresses again, and you will wish you were in hell!"

Temari and Kankuro gulped in fear at the killing intent wafting off the red haired girl. Their fear increased when Naruto called out, "You can come out now Ichibi. Please join us here. I am sure that your siblings will feel safer with you beside them."

"Kankuro, Temari! You both are a disgrace to Suna!" Gaara said as he appeared in a swirl of sand. Everyone except Naruto were surprise to see the red haired boy with the massive sand gourd on his back appear. None of them sensed his presence until he appeared.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki! Mother wishes for your blood, yet warns me to stay away from you. I wonder why?" Gaara said with a maniacal look in his eyes.

"Why don't you bump fists with me and find out?" Naruto said with a grin as he raised his right fist to Gaara. The Ichibi Jinchūriki looked suspicious at the gesture but decided to humor Naruto, to the extreme surprise of his siblings.

Right after Gaara tapped his fist to Naruto's, the sand in the gourd rattled before settling down. Temari and Kankuro looked surprised as the eternal bloodlust emanating from their little brother suddenly became more subdued. Pulling back their fists, Gaara bowed to Naruto and said, "Thank you for your help Naruto-sama. With your intervention, Shukaku has finally settled down."

"I thought he might. He isn't really a mad being. He just wishes to honor his first Jinchūriki. The only person he could call his friend. Be his friend Gaara, and you will find that a Bijū's wisdom goes a long way. Come by the Uzu Compound in the evening. I will have Natsumi fix your seal. Truly a shoddy work. Who forgets to place a psyche barrier in a Bijū holding seal? No wonder you can't sleep."

Gaara nodded in agreement before saying, "These are my elder siblings. Kankuro, my brother and Temari, my sister and I am Gaara."

"A pleasure to meet you all. These beautiful kunoichi from Uzu are my cousin, Uzumaki Karin, the one with the red hair. Makkeshō Suiren, the one with the blue hair and crimson crystal dust floating about her. Then there is Yūki Haku." All three kunoichi nodded in greeting but didn't say anything else.

"Next, the boys are members of Team 7, Uchiha Sasuke, my former Genin teammate." Sasuke nodding in greeting as Naruto continued, "Sai. An orphan who has developed an interesting new hidden jutsu style, and you have already met my wayward apprentice, Sarutobi Konohamaru."

"Pleasure to meet you all. Forgive us Naruto-sama, but we must meet up with our Jōnin sensei, so I bid you all a farewell!" Gaara said before clasping a hand on each of his siblings' shoulders, causing both of them to jump in fear. With a meaningful nod to Naruto, Gaara and his siblings vanished in a swirl of sand.

Sai put away the ink glob in a small gourd he was carrying at his waist and jumped down to the street with Sasuke. "Tough competition. I am forfeiting as soon as I see Gaara as my opponent."

"Don't you think it is a bit early to make such a decision Sai? I mean, he may be a Jinchūriki, but I doubt he undefeatable. In fact, I would prefer to see who is stronger. Me or him!" Sasuke said with a superior grin.

"Don't be so sure about it. Gaara is a very dangerous opponent. Much like Suiren can manipulate crystal dust, he can manipulate sand. From the reports, he has been on multiple B-Rank mission and has personally defeated enemy Jōnin while his team and sensei stood back. I can assure you that underestimating him will lead to your defeat, especially since he returned from each of his missions without a single scratch on him."

"I wonder who is better in manipulating fine particles, me or him." Suiren wondered before Karin slapped the girl in the back and commented, "Then be sure to survive long enough to face off against him. When I finally focused my senses on him, I was shocked to find that his personal reserves are just as large as any Kage's, that too without adding the Ichibi's chakra to the mix."

"I would advise not to engage him. He reminded me of Zabuza-sama on an assassination mission. That isn't the kind of opponent you would wish to fight." Haku commented only for Naruto to chuckle and say, "That's just his defense mechanism. His village treats him like he is the Ichibi. He uses that façade to protect himself. I will be going now. Ja ne!"

Team 7 and Team Uzu stared at the place Naruto vacated before Karin commented, "So! Anyone up for some food? I am paying."

"Sorry, but I have to meet up with Nii Samui again. It is my day to take her out on a date. I just wish that Naruto hadn't nominated me as a prospective groom for a political marriage."

"Oh stop complaining. At least the girl isn't fawning over you like all of your fan girls. You should be happy that you already have a prospective candidate for one of your wives." Karin said with a teasing grin as Sasuke left the group, completely ignoring Karin.

* * *

Gaara walked into the massive chamber underneath the main mansion in the Uzumaki Compound. Behind him, Temari, Kankuro and Baki followed with wary expressions on their faces. As they reached the center of the chamber, the lights brightened to show a massive sealing array was carved into the floor of the chamber. At the other end of the chamber was a wooden table with multiple clay vats.

Baki saw that Naruto, a red haired girl of about twelve and a red haired woman in her middle twenties were standing over a scroll, discussing something. "Ah welcome. Gaara, you will need to remove all of your clothes and sit in the middle of the array. Then we can begin."

Gaara didn't say anything as he quickly divested himself of his clothes, living him in his underwear. Quickly striding to the middle of the circle, Gaara sat down without even a prompt and closed his eyes in meditation. He already knew that his old seal will be destroyed. The pain he felt when Akatsuki had extracted Shukaku in the future was prominent in his mind. He was not going to let the pain show, just like last time.

"You three. Come and stand with us, while we prepare for the sealing. Do not touch anything and especially do not channel any chakra. The consequences may be catastrophic!" Natsumi barked out causing the three Suna shinobi to follow her orders without complaint. After they were situated, Natsumi turned to Karin and said, "Be ready Karin-chan. If Shukaku tries to escape, it will be your job to restrain him."

Karin gulped before her red eyes glowed with determination as she focused her chakra to create the chakra chains. The Kongōfūsa was truly an awe inspiring technique, but also difficult to master. She just hoped that she was ready to restrain a Bijū as Naruto's mother could.

"I am filling the troughs Natsumi. I hope you are ready!" Naruto said as she tipped one of the vats of ink into a small sluice. The ink flowed down the sluice before slowly filling up the craved troughs in the array. After the troughs were filled, Natsumi walked forward with a brush and ink pot in hand. Gently laying Gaara down on the ground, Natsumi started drawing some seals around Gaara's stomach. When it was finished, Natsumi turned to Naruto and Karin before nodding and placing her palm in the center of the recently drawn seal, Natsumi channeled her chakra into the seal before twisting her palm in the clockwise direction.

Immediately, a bubbling brownish-red chakra cloak formed around Gaara as he convulsed in pain. Quickly, Natsumi started drawing some fūinjutsu shiki on Gaara's stomach. As the cloak bubbled even more, Naruto walked forward as a yellow cloak of charka formed around him. Naruto placed a glowing palm on Gaara's forehead and soon the bubbling cloak of brownish-red chakra was forced back into Gaara just as Natsumi finished drawing the seals.

"Jump back Naruto-sama. I am going to solidify the seal now!" Naruto nodded and jumped back to the safety of the table as Natsumi quickly formed a few hand seals before placing her palms on both side of Gaara's stomach and called out, "Fūinjutsu: Gōchutekkan Fūin!"

A bright silvery white light erupted from the newly forming seal before it solidified into a simple pentagonal seal with the kanji for Iron at the five vertices and an Uzumaki swirl in the middle. Rubbing the sweat from her forehead, Natsumi stood up and walked back to the table before slumping on the chair.

"It is done. He should wake up in a couple of moments Naruto-sama!"

Naruto nodded and right after that, Gaara gave a groan as he sat up. "You know something; I didn't think that changing a Bijū restraining seal would be so painful. I feel so sore."

"Gaara? Are you alright?" Baki asked with apprehension. He was stunned at the perpetual bloodlust being gone and was now afraid that he wouldn't be able to judge Gaara's moods.

"Why the hell is there a second presence in my seal Naruto?" Gaara asked with confusion as he stood up and caught his clothes, that Naruto threw towards him.

"The second presence is your mother's soul. That sand protection you have is your mothers will to protect her baby boy. It seems that my parents weren't the only ones to think about sealing their souls or fragments of them in our seals." Naruto said with a grin.

Gaara nodded before saying, "So that's why I always thought Shukaku was my mother. He was interfering with her emotions and feelings. Do you think I will be able to talk with her?"

"I would advise against it until the seal is better settled. I have designed it to siphon off a bit of your chakra to support the continued existence of your mother's soul. You can try communicating with your mother's soul in a weeks' time."

Gaara nodded at Natsumi's words before turning to his team and saying, "Father is betraying our morals and our honor. Baki, when my father comes to Konoha, make sure to inform me. I wish to talk with him."

Baki nodded at the sudden authority dripping from Gaara's tone. The sudden sanity in the redhead's eyes also startled the Jōnin but he decided not to question it. If the sanity would prevent Gaara from massacring everyone in their sleep, then he was all for it.

"As you wish Gaara. Now we must be going now. I am sure that you wish to have a lie in after being insomniac for so long." Gaara nodded as Baki turned to Naruto and said with a bow, "Thank you for your assistance Naruto-sama, Uzumaki-san, and Uzumaki-san."

"Do not mention it Baki-san. It was the least I could do to help a fellow Jinchūriki. Gaara, don't hold back during the exams. In fact, if you face against Konohamaru, Sasuke, one of the three from Uzu, I would advise that you go all out!"

Karin paled at Naruto's advice. Gaara gave a bloodthirsty grin and said, "I wasn't planning on it. I just hope that you haven't overestimated your students Naruto!" The three shinobi from Suna shivered at the sudden bloodthirst emanating from Gaara and moved away a bit out of fear.

"I am sure that I haven't. See you all around. It is as Baki-san said. You need the sleep! You look pathetic!" Naruto said with a grin right before a shuriken of sand flew at his head. Without even blinking, Naruto waved a hand and took control of the sand with an impish grin. "Ninshu is far greater than Ninjustu. Here, let me show you!"

With that said, Naruto forced the sand to coalesce into a stone before melting into a shuriken made of lava before it suddenly froze into solid rock, after which, it dropped to the ground. The Suna Shinobi looked shocked at how easily Naruto stopped the sudden attack while Gaara chuckled causing all of the Suna Shinobi to shiver in fright. "A battle between us will be interesting. I hope we get the chance Naruto!"

"I am sure we will!" Naruto said with a knowing grin.

"Baki, Temari, Kankuro, let's go. I want to see how much sleeping will help me in getting stronger!" Without even complaining, the three quickly followed Gaara out of the chamber and out of the Uzu Compound. Leaving behind an amused Naruto and two confused Uzumaki women.

* * *

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Tessen = Battle Fan_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Kongōfūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu shiki = Sealing Formula_**

 ** _Fūinjutsu: Gōchutekkan Fūin = Sealing Technique: Quintet of Iron Pillars Seal_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: There have been some people who have been complaining that I am not updating monthly. I would like to point out that monthly doesnt necessarily mean every 30 days. It means once every month. Anyway, Enjoy the start of the Chunnin Exams Arc and tell me how you liked Gaara's acting after regaining his memories. After all as a Kage he would understand the magnitude of the secret.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	24. Chapter 23 - Chunin Exams Part I

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 22 – Chunin Exams Part I**

Many prospective Chunin hopefuls were entering the Academy to take their exams. Amongst them were a all Kunoichi Team from Uzu and an all Shinobi Team from Konoha. The six met at the entrance of the Academy and greeted each other with nods.

"Sasuke, you and Konohamaru are the only ones who know the Academy, so lead the way and we will follow." Karin said causing Sasuke to nod and walk in with his team and the all Kunoichi following behind him. They handed over their forms to the Chunin Instructors sitting at a table beside the doors and were directed to head to Class Room 303.

They went up a pair of stairs and saw a large group of Genin crowding around a door with the sign 303. The door was being guarded by two Genin, but Karin sensed that something wasn't right. Focusing her Kagura Shigan, she whispered to her teammates and Team Kakashi before heading towards the stairs to the next floor. As they were walking up the stairs, they heard a girl whine, "Come on, let us through. We need to take the exam!"

"Tenten is laying it on thick, isn't she?" Konohamaru commented with a grin causing the rest of his team and the Uzu Kunoichi to nod in agreement.

"I wonder when they will come up. The exam is going to start soon."

"I am sure that they will be here soon Haku. After all, do you see the uptight Hyūga teme missing such an opportunity?" Karin said with a scowl. Let it be known that Uzumaki Karin hated Hyūga Neji with a passion, especially since he insulted her by calling her a loser for studying the Fūinjutsu arts.

"You just wish to be the one to face him so that you can show him up Karin. You really need to keep your temper under control. You really don't want to get the moniker of Red Hot-Blooded Habanero like Kushina-sama, do you?" Suiren said with a teasing grin.

Karin pouted as they reached the door to the exam room only to be met by Zabuza and Kakashi leaning on the wall beside the door discussing something. Kakashi with the first to respond, "Ah, there you six are. Go in and make sure to keep alert. There may be some teams with ulterior motives."

"Hatake is right you lot, and keep an eye out for suspicious genin. Other than that, have fun and make sure that everyone learns that Uzu is the best!"

"Ha… my students will show that Konoha is the best, Eiba!"

"We will see Hatake, girls make sure that you reach the finals. We Jōnin have a bet and I believe that you lot are the only ones who have a chance to reach the finals with the whole team intact!" With that said, Zabuza vanished in a shunshin, leaving behind a thin mist.

"Boys, I expect you all to make it to the finals. I have quite a lot of Ryō banking on you! Good luck!" As with Zabuza, Kakashi also vanished in a shunshin, though his was a crackle of lighting sparks.

The six genin blinked in shock before shrugging and entering the room. As soon as they entered, they were accosted by the collective killing intent of the participants. While impressive, none of them even felt uncomfortable as they were used to being subjected to Elite Jōnin level killing intents.

"Hey guys! You lot got entered as well?" Ino asked approaching the six genin.

"Wahoo, it seems that everyone is here!" Kiba called out entering the room with his team and Team Gai.

"Troublesome, why did you monsters have to be entered? Now I don't have any chance to succeed. My mom is going to be so insufferable." Shikamaru groaned causing Hinata to smile and say, "Just try your best Shikamaru-kun. I am sure that your mother will be pleased with your performance, granted, you have to put in your all."

Shikamaru nodded and was about to comment when a grey haired elder Konoha Genin walked up to them and said, "You lot should keep it down. Everyone here is quite anxious and the wrong behavior could trigger someone. You lot are rookies, right? If I am not mistaken, you lot were taught personally by Naruto-sama in the art of Ninshu."

"That's right, but who are you?" Kiba asked with narrowed eyes. The boy smelled like snakes and the only person he knows that smells like that was Mitarashi Anko, and that's because she was a snake summoner. There shouldn't be any more snake summoners in Konoha.

"Please forgive me. The name is Yakushi Kabuto. I am a genin who specializes in Iryōjutsu and have taken these exams seven times. Each time I failed due to one reason or another. They are quite difficult. Though I have gained quite the amount of intelligence on participants." Everyone in the group nodded but some were a bit suspicious. No one is that bad to fail the exams seven times.

Sasuke spoke up. "Yakushi-san, you say you have intelligence on the participants, care to share some with comrades?"

Kabuto looked startled at the query but nodded with a smile as he took out a pack of cards. "Sure. I believe that as your senior, it is the least I can do. These are nin-info cards. I have burned the information into them with my chakra so that no one but I can access them. Do you have any one in particular you wish to learn of?"

Sasuke though for a moment before speaking, "Nii Samui of Kumo, Sabaku no Gaara of Suna, Kamizuri Kurotsuchi of Iwa and Uzumaki Karin of Uzu."

Samui heard from across the room causing her team to approach Sasuke and his group. At the same time, Gaara moved towards them with his siblings, clearly interested in what information Kabuto had on him. Kurotsuchi didn't approach but moved closer with her teammates.

"Why are you asking about me? You and Shikamaru already know all about my record?" Samui asked with confusion.

"To learn how accurate his intel is. Go ahead Yakushi-san?" Sasuke said with his sharingan active, no one realized that Sasuke had subtly casted a genjutsu on Samui and Karin with his sharingan before dispelling them. Both girls shared a look before frowning.

"Alright, first is Nii Samui. She is the niece of the Yondaime Raikage and the cousin of Nibi Jinchūriki. Her Jōnin Sensei is Kirabi, the Hachibi Jinchūriki. Her teammates are Karui and Omoi, neither have last names and are probably orphans. She has quite high kenjutsu stats along with moderately high ninjutsu and genjutsu stats, all well above Genin level, nearly Tokubetsu Jōnin level. Her elemental affinity is lighting, a common affinity in Kumo. Her mission statistics are one B-rank, thirty-seven C-ranks and one hundred and thirty-four D-ranks. She has been a Kunoichi for a little more than a year and a half. She is known for her cold demeanor and is said to have singlehandedly eliminated a band of rapist bandits with only kenjutsu."

Samui nodded and said, "Quite accurate information Yakushi-san. I am impressed with your information gathering skills."

Kabuto nodded before taking out another card. "Next is Sabaku no Gaara. He is the third and youngest child of the Yondaime Kazekage. His sensei is Baki of the Wind Blade. His teammates are his siblings, Temari and Kankuro. He has Jōnin level ninjutsu stats. genjutsu and taijutus is unknown, though I would hazard that he is already Jōnin level. He is the jinchūriki of the Ichibi and is known for his bloodthirsty nature and sand jutsu. His mission statistics are quite impressive with five B-ranks, twelve C-ranks and an unknown number of D-ranks. He has been a shinobi for roughly the same time as you and is known for his bloodthirsty demeanor and returning from all of his missions without a single scratch."

"Same thing Naruto told me, just more detailed. Next one please Yakushi-san."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes before taking out the next card. "Kamizuri Kurotsuchi. She is the granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage much like Konohamaru-san is the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage." Kabuto said nodding in Konohamaru's direction. "Her sensei is the Yonbi Jinchūriki Roshi. And her teammates are her cousin, Suzumebachi and Akatsuchi. Her stats put her well into the Tokubetsu Jōnin rank. Her mission stats, I am sorry to say are inconsistent, but they are one B-rank, twelve C-ranks and thirty D-ranks. She is known for her Yōton Kekkai Genkai and is said to have a quick temper and is said to be a prodigy in ninjutsu."

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes at the amount of accuracy Kabuto's intel contained. The only thing that was wrong was that her single S-rank was not included, though to be fair, that S-rank was one she wasn't supposed to be in, so it was probably not accessible by anyone not on the Tsuchikage and those he approved.

"Finally there is Uzumaki Karin, the current Heiress of the Uzumaki Clan. She is the only other member of the Royal branch of the fabled Uzumaki Clan. She is a former Kusa Kunoichi, but Kusa gave up all rights on her when they transferred her back to the control of Uzu. Her sensei is Eiba Zabuza, formerly known as Momochi Zabuza, the present head of the Noble Eiba Clan of the reforming Uzugakure. Her teammates are Yūki Haku, the present head of the Noble Yūki Clan of the reforming Uzugakure and Makesshō Suiren, the present head of the Noble Makesshō Clan of the reforming Uzugakure. It is said that she is trained by her cousin Senju Tsunade-sama in Taijutsu. She only knows the basic Academy Jutsu, but is said to have been trained in Ninshu by Uzumaki Naruto-sama and Iryōjutsu by Senju Tsunade-sama. Her element or elements are unknown. Her genjutsu is low Chunin level. Her Fūinjutsu skills far surpass most Jōnin, though it is to be expected as her clan is known for prodigious skills in the art. For Mission Statistics, she has done one A-rank, seven B-ranks, twelve C-ranks and thirty-nine D-ranks, including her mission statistics from Kusa. It is said that she has a powerful sensory ability that easily rivals or even surpasses the Hyūga Byakugan. It is also said that her chakra is special and has the ability to revitalize anyone injected with to the point of being completely healed from mortal wounds. And that's all that I have. I must say, those are some incredible credentials."

Karin narrowed her eyes at the information, some of it should have been out of Kabuto's reach, though he may have had his own sensei get access to it, but her Ninshu and Iryōjutsu training were completely secret and unavailable to anyone outside Uzu and those Naruto authorized. Sasuke was right to be cautious. Karin turned to Samui and motioned towards Kabuto with her eyes. Something Haku and Suiren caught and were immediately put on alert.

"What about Karin's teammates, do you have any information on them?" Kiba asked with a curious expression. Kabuto looked surprised at the query before stating, "Sorry, but I only have the basic information. Their names, their teammates and Sensei and most of all that they are the heads of their respective clans. Other than that, their skills, their mission statistics and personal information is unavailable. Uzushiogakure no Sato is probably the most secretive village in existence, if you don't count Otogakure. I didn't even know they were a thing until they showed up for the exams." Kabuto said with a scoff causing Sasuke, Haku, and the members of Team Gai to chuckle.

"Care to share the joke?" Kabuto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sasuke stopped chuckling and said, "Oh we knew about Oto for some time now, especially since the S-rank we took to Kiri." Sasuke said pointing to himself, Sai, Haku, Tenten, Lee and Neji in turn causing nearly every foreign ninja to raise an eyebrow in shock. Genin partaking in S-rank missions. What kind of monsters do Konoha and Uzu produce? First Uzumaki Naruto, then Haruno Sakura and now these Genin. Did they even stand a chance against monsters like them?

"Care to elaborate?" Kabuto asked with a pained smile.

"Otogakure was founded by the traitorous snake, Orochimaru no Densetsu no Sannin. Quite sad, that he thought that he could win against Naruto. I still remember the beat down Naruto gave to the bastard. Then the landscape changing spar he had with the Hakuja Sennin. I was quite pleased to learn that Orochimaru is now persona non-grata with the Snake Summons. I do believe that he is the present Otokage." Sasuke said causing the Otonin to stiffen in shock.

"They are quite pathetic, serving a traitorous Shinobi. Fate has decreed that they all shall remain losers for the rest of their existence." Neji said with an arrogant smirk causing the Oto team to fume in anger, but decided that it was better not to retaliate against them, not with the warnings Orochimaru-sama gave them.

Neji was going to continue with the degradation of the Otonin, but the sudden explosion of smoke at the front of the room followed by rough male voice stopped him. "Alright Maggots! It's time to start this sorry exam. I am Morino Ibiki and my colleague is Haruno Sakura. We shall be the ones administering your exams."

Many of the genin gulped at the glares Ibiki and Sakura were giving the group, not to mention the massive killing intent wafting off the duo. Sakura continued, "Come up here, and take a number. That shall be your seat assignment. Try to trick us, and the consequences will be dire."

The cold tone with the equally cold smile Sakura sported caused some of the genin to shiver in fright. Sakura may be young, but everyone has already heard tales of her prowess. Silently, each and every one of the Genin participants walked up to the head table and took their assigned seat number. After everyone had taken their seats, the Chunin aids moved about handing the exam sheets to the candidates.

"The exam will last exactly one hour." Sakura started with a blast of killing intent. "Any who try to be smart, will find themselves and their teammates failing and being banned from taking this exam for life. Is that clear?"

All the Genin, even the Konoha Genin nodded in fear, causing Sakura to click her tongue and say, "I said, IS THAT CLEAR MAGGOTS?"

"CRYSTAL!" The collection of Genin shouted back.

Sakura nodded in satisfaction and said, "There will be certain rules. Make sure to memorize them as we won't be repeating ourselves! Morino-san, if you would?"

Ibiki nodded to Sakura and said, "You all with start with ten points. Each wrong answer will cause one-point deduction. If you get caught cheating, you will lose three points. If anyone gets a zero, they and their teammates fail the exam. To pass, the minimum collective total of your team must be three points. There are nine questions on the paper with a blank space of the tenth. The Tenth question will be given at the forty-fifth minute mark. IS THAT CLEAR?"

"CRYSTAL CLEAR SIR!"

Ibiki nodded in amusement as Sakura started the exam. For next forty-five minutes; Ibiki, Sakura and the Chunin aides kept vigil and by the fifteenth minute mark, teams started dropping off like flies. By the fortieth minute, only thirty-two teams were left. In the last five minutes, only two more teams were eliminated, before Ibiki called out, "Alright, it's time for the final question. Now there is an additional rule to this question. You can choose to take it or not."

Normally, Genin would complain, but the potent killing intent that was wafting off Sakura kept them quite. Seeing that there weren't any smartasses, Ibiki continued, "If you don't take it, you and your team will immediately fail. If you do take it and get it wrong, you will be banned from taking the exams for life!"

This time, the killing intent wasn't enough to deter some of the more vocal Genin from commenting. "But what about the repeaters? Why do they have chance, and not us? There must be some here who have got the final question wrong!"

"That's good question Genin at Desk 55. To answer it, I am the rules. My exam, my rules. It is your bad luck that you got me and Haruno as your examiners. Now, Desks 55, 22 and 76, collect your things and leave. You are disqualified for talking in the examination hall!"

"That's not fair man!" The Genin at Desk 22 complained only for a kunai to fly past his cheek, leaving behind a very thin bleeding laceration. Turning his head to the source, he saw Sakura with another kunai in hand, buffing her nails. The sweet smile she was directing his way causing him to involuntarily shiver and pale in fright. He didn't even realize when Sakura had taken out a kunai and threw it at him. Ibiki didn't need to ask again, as the Genin ran out of the room without a second thought, his teammates following at a more sedate pace. They didn't want to face off against an angry Sakura. Not with her monikers of Kyōdaina On'na and Shinku Megami.

* * *

"I didn't think Sakura's presence would in fact enhance Ibiki's mind games like that. Normally, Ibiki need to speak to unnerve the Genin. I feel bad for this crop." Kakashi commented causing Kurenai to frown.

"What do you mean Kakashi? Why do you feel bad for the Genin? What is so terrifying about Ibiki?"

"Oh right, you are a rookie, so you wouldn't know!" Asuma commented causing Gai to nod in agreement.

"Ibiki is known as the ultimate sadist. He is the head of T&I and a specialist in psychological torture. If I am not mistaken, Sakura has been subtly manipulating the atmosphere of the room through her killing intent and a minor genjutsu."

"Not quite Gai. Sakura-chan is also bending the water vapor into making the atmosphere in the room much more oppressive for the candidates, not to mention playing around with the blood flow of the candidates with blood bending." Naruto said as he put away the fūinjutsu scroll he was reading.

"Are you leaving already Naruto? There is still seven minutes left in the exam." Kakashi asked with surprise.

Naruto chuckled and said, "I need to make an entrance with Anko. If that irritates Ibiki and Sakura, all the better!"

Before anyone could comment, Naruto faded away into the ether. After a few moments, Kakashi finally spoke up, "I think we are about to witness Naruto and Anko fly across the village."

"Why does he have to annoy Sakura like that?" Kurenai asked with bewilderment.

"I think he just does that to keep their relationship casual, instead of the formal that protocol demands. You know how much Naruto hates protocols. He mustn't want to lose his oldest friend due to protocols, besides he was a prankster much longer than he was a Daimyō, so I don't think it strange that he would pull pranks from time to time."

"Not to mention, any dramatic entry Naruto-sama does will be over the top, especially with Anko joining in." Gai stated before horror over took everyone's faces at the possibilities those two could cook up. Truly, no one wanted Anko and Naruto plotting together.

* * *

"No one else?" Sakura asked with a lazy tone as she kept buffing her nails as she and Ibiki waited for any more Genin to pull out. Surprisingly, twenty-five teams were still there and none seemed interested in leaving.

Ibiki nodded at Sakura as they both stood up and said, "Congratulations! You all pass!"

Before anyone could comment, Sakura let out a blast of concentrated killing intent as she started to speak. "I am sure that many of you are confused with my associates words. To dumb it down, you all pass. The final question was a test of daring. If you wish to be Chunin, you must understand that retreat isn't an option. As a Chunin, you are expected to lead teams and take harder missions. Failure isn't an option. The purpose of this exam was to test Information Gathering skills. Those of you who remain showcased acceptable levels of skill. You were meant to cheat as the questions were far above standard Chunin level. Information is a very important factor on missions. You must not only gain it, but you must be certain that what you have gained is correct. False intel usually leads to death or capture. I would personally prefer death to capture. If you wouldn't mind Ibiki-san."

Ibiki nodded as he removed his bandana revealing gruesome scarring on his scalp. Screw holes, burns, carvings. The list went on, causing some of the Genin to feel queasy.

"Not nice, is it. Ibiki-san survived such torture and was able to keep the information secret until he was able to escape. I hope you all understand the importance of intel to both the mission and the village at large. With that said, congratulations for proving that you have what it takes to gather low to mid priority intel. Your next proctors will be here soon to lead you to the…"

Sakura didn't get to finish as two massive plumes of smoke filled the room before a gust of wind blew them away revealing Anko standing on the head of a large coiled brown cobra. Beside them were Naruto standing on the head of an ice blue toad with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu on his shoulders waving streamers around. A large banner was floating in the air, held taunt by invisible hands of wind.

The banner read:

 _The incredibly sexy and fortunately single Anko Mitarashi and the incredibly handsome and unfortunately taken Uzumaki Naruto!_

With arrows pointing down from their respective names.

Before Anko or Naruto could speak, they felt a shiver run down their spines. Turning to Ibiki, Anko asked, "We interrupted her before she could finish her speech, didn't we?"

Ibiki grinned and nodded as he stated, "You both are early!"

"ANKO! NARUTO!" Sakura screamed out finally reaching her boiling point before an enraged pinkett drew water for the air and launched spinning disks of thin ice at the two.

The Summons quickly vacated the premises in puffs of smoke as Naruto and Anko used judicious blasts of fire to vaporize the deadly disks and jump back. While they fought against an enraged Sakura, both noticed the number of candidates left.

"Wow! You must be losing you touch Ibiki. I was sure that Sakura's presence would help cut down the number of candidates to about thirty." Naruto commented as he conjured a wall of vacuum that crushed the icicles Sakura aimed at him.

"I agree with Naruto-sama here Ibiki. Yikes!" Anko screamed as she ducked under a lava shuriken. "Where in hell did you get lava in a wooden classroom?"

"Seals. I always carry ten tons of rocks with me!" Sakura said with a malicious smirk as she unsealed a large boulder and manipulated it into lava before causing spikes of lava to fly at the Snake Mistress.

Anko was at her wits end. Ice, water, winds, rocks, lightning, fire… throw them at her and she will find a way to counter them. Lava, on the other hand was a completely different ball game! Anko gulped as she started generating lighting, hoping that a concentrated blast would be enough to blow away the super-heated rock, only for Naruto to appear in front of her and raise his hand. From his hand, a glowing seal formed in the air before a net of chakra flew out and engulfed the spikes and the ball of lava before contracting.

Everyone watched in awe as the net caused the lava to instantly solidify and then be absorbed by the seal which shrunk down and solidified into a small stone tablet. Sakura was about to continue when Naruto spoke up with a tone filled with authority, "That's enough Sakura. We both had our fun. Let's get back to the reason we are here!"

"Don't interrupt me during my speeches! Anyway, your next proctors are here to lead you to the site of your next exam. I am sure they need no introduction, now hop it!" Sakura said with an annoyed tone before she took deep breaths to calm down.

Naruto created a Kage Bunshin and told the remaining candidates to follow his clone causing all the Genin to rush after the clone, eager to leave the enraged pink haired medic's presence, even the Konoha Twelve didn't waste time. They knew how dangerous an enraged Sakura could become.

After all the Genin had left, Sakura, Anko, Ibiki and Naruto chuckled before Ibiki said, "That was funny. I didn't think that the impromptu spar would elicit such fear amongst the Genin. Only a few Genin remained calm."

"The Kusa Kunoichi, Gaara no Sabaku and Yakushi Kabuto, right?" Naruto asked getting a nod from Ibiki.

"The Kusa Kunoichi is Orochimaru. Anko, assign Gate 23 to the snake's team and Gate 34 to Kabuto's team. I will see how talented these idiots truly are."

"If I am not mistaken, you and Natsumi added those experimental seal based golems there right?" Sakura asked with a grin.

"Oh there are some scattered around the forest, but the ones there are the latest and strongest prototypes. I want to see how powerful they truly are."

"Can I hunt Orochimaru down after the Golem Test?" Anko whined causing the other three to chuckle as Naruto nodded giving his permission.

* * *

The Chunin Candidates were standing around in front of a walled off forest. Ominous sounds and the screeches of animals in pain could be heard emanating from beyond the walls, causing all of the gathered Chunin hopefuls to become nervous.

One Genin in particular was exceptionally nervous as she looked around with sweat dripping down her face. The Genin was none other than Uzumaki Karin and with her immense sensory ability, she could feel the monstrous beings hidden in the forest. Her nerves started unnerving her teammates as well. Suiren was playing around with a small pink cyan crystal ball with Haku fingering her senbon.

Naruto and Anko faded into existence on top of the wall with grins on their faces. Anko was the first to greet the Genin. "Welcome maggots to the second phase of the Chunin Exams. This phase is much easier than the last one. You all can use whatever you have in your arsenal to survive for five days in the Forest of Death."

Naruto picked up the speech, "The forest is filled with deadly creatures, traps and most of all, poisonous and man-eating flora."

"Be careful not to sit on the wrong tree, because that will be the last thing you do." Anko said with a cheerful grin. All the Genin became more unnerved at what the two were saying. Even those who knew Naruto were becoming a bit unnerved.

"Not the objective isn't only to survive for five days, that is a hundred and twenty hours. Each team will be given a map containing the location of either a heaven or earth scroll. You will have to travel to the location and gain access to at least a single copy of each scroll." Naruto stated as he held up a blue and a green scroll.

Anko's cheerful tone suddenly became foreboding, "Beware, for the scrolls have powerful guardians. You have to gain a pair of scrolls by whatever means possible, which includes stealing from a Team that already has it, tricking the guardian, defeating the guardian, or even convincing the guardian to give the scroll up."

"Killing is allowed, but frowned upon. After you have at least a single pair of scrolls, you will need to head to the tower in the center of the forest to pass. You will fail if you take a peek at the scrolls, you lose a teammate or you fail to reach the tower in time or without both scrolls." Naruto stated with a tone of authority.

"As Naruto-sama has explained, you must get both scrolls, get to the tower before five days are up and must have reached the tower without either peeking at the scrolls or losing a teammate. Now sign these consent forms so that Konoha is absolved from the responsibility of any death that occurring during the exams. Without a signed form, you will be disqualified. After you turn in your three forms, you will be assigned a gate number and given the aforementioned map. Enjoy the stint in my home away from home, and make sure to bleed a lot. Some of my dear plants need a lot of blood to grow!" Anko said with a psychotic glint in her eyes.

* * *

"Are you sure that we should head to this one?" A Genin asked his teammates. The boy had every distinguishing feature hidden by his battle clothes. Only his hitai-ate was visible which showed that he was from Kiri. Beside him, his two Kunoichi teammates nodded.

One was a beautiful teenager with long flowing black hair and deep brown eyes. Her hitai-ate was wrapped around her left bicep and a katana was strapped to her waist. The girl was wearing a navy shihakusho and hakama. Her teammate was much older, nearing eighteen, and was wearing a modified Kiri Anbu uniform with a cloth face mask hiding her face and her hitai-ate adjusted on her forehead so that only her pale green eyes could be seen.

"Stop complaining Toji. This one is the closest. We quickly gain our scrolls and hightail it to the tower. Isn't that right Tsuki?"

The girl in the modified Anbu uniform nodded in agreement as she said, "We can't waste time Toji. I am with Hitomi on this one."

Toji sighed and nodded as the team rushed to the location of their first scroll. As they reached the clearing, they saw a large stone lion with the scroll held in its mouth. Intricate seals were carved into the body of the lion. The three Kiri Genin approached the scroll with caution. They were looking around for the guardian, but until now, they could neither sense nor see anything.

As the three reached the lion statue, Toji nudged Hitomi and said, "You are the most experienced, you take it. We will keep watch!"

Hitomi grumbled and reached out with her right hand. No sooner than she touched the scroll, she jumped back in fear of activating a trap. After waiting for a few moments, when she saw that no traps were triggered and no guardian appeared, the girl got bolder and pulled the scroll free. The girl turned around with the scroll in her hand when her instincts screamed at her roll forwards.

Toji and Tsuki watched in horror as Hitomi was unable to completely dodge the blow from the assailant. They were awed and horrified to see the seals on the statue glowing with an eldritch red light as it came to life. They rushed forward and picked up their teammate and jumped back only for the lion to jump over them to land behind.

All three turned to the animated statue with horror and saw it breath out a massive wave of red flames. All three tried to jump back but they suddenly felt some kind of seal restraining their movement. As the flames washed over them, the last thing they saw was a pair of maliciously glowing red eyes.

As the flames died down, all three Kiri Genin were found unconscious with severe third degree burns. Surprisingly, the scroll was completely unharmed. The lion prowled forward and gently took the scroll in its mouth before returning to the center of the clearing and settling down into the form of a simple statue.

After a couple of minutes, a clone of Naruto appeared in the clearing, right beside the statue with a grin. Waling forward, Naruto placed his hands on the ground causing a sealing array to form around the trio of incapacitated Kiri Genin. A translucent dome formed around the Kiri Genin before they vanished from sight. Right afterwards, the Naruto clone popped out of existence.

* * *

Team 10 looked around in surprise. The scroll was sitting on a large pedestal in the middle of the clearing. Chōji was about to rush forward when Shikamaru stopped him.

"What's wrong Shika?" Chōji asked as he munched on his chips.

"Doesn't this feel too easy to you?"

Chōji looked surprised but nodded after a few moments. "You are right. Ino, do you think you can take the scroll from here?"

"I will certainly try." Ino stated as she focused on the scroll after a few moments the scroll slowly lifted up but Ino had to drop it when the screeching of a bird broke her concentration.

All three looked up to see a massive wooden bird diving towards them, its long pointed beak being covered in a thin film of sharpened air. All over the bird's body were an intricate network of seals, glowing with an azure hue. Shikamaru complained, "I knew this was too easy! Dumb troublesome blonde!"

Ino, Chōji and Shikamaru tried to move deeper into the forest when they hit a barrier. The barrier threw them back causing them to look shocked before jumping to the side as the bird easily pierced through the tree they were resting on.

"What the hell?" Ino screamed in shock

The bird pulled out its beak and opened it as Naruto's voice erupted from its mouth. "You have activated the challenge, defeat the guardian or be defeated. That is the only way!"

"Damned troublesome blonde! Ino, you are the only one who can fly. Handle the bird. We will see about giving you support, though don't expect much from me other than strategies and warning!" Shikamaru stated as he threw a kunai wrapped with an Uzumaki grade demolition tag at the bird. At the same time, Chōji started launching disks and spikes of rock at the bird in hopes of damaging it. Ino took to the air with her barely acceptable flight skills.

The kunai hit the bird in the face and exploded but to Team 10 shock and horror, a barrier formed around the explosion before it imploded into a tiny ball. The ball was then absorbed by the bird. The bird turned in flight towards Ino and opened its beak wide. From within its cavernous maw, a bright yellow pinpoint of light formed before a massive beam of destructive energy as it blasted towards the shocked Yamanaka Heiress.

Diving, Ino was barely able to dodge the beam of destructive energy. Turning towards the direction of the beams path, Ino saw that the beam had craved a path of destruction, igniting the tops of the trees for nearly fifty yards. Ino gulped before she unsealed a set of fifteen knives and manipulated them with hey psychokinesis ability.

As the Ino and the bird battled in the air, knives crashing into the bird or parrying spikes of wooden feathers the bird launched at Ino; Shikamaru and Chōji were caught in a predicament of their own. On the ground, many of the small wooden feathers had sprouted into hideous plants with writhing vines dripping in toxins.

* * *

"What the hell are those two doing to the Genin?" Kurenai asked in shock.

"I agree. These tests should be for Anbu Entrance Exams!" Kakashi exclaimed with his lone visible eye wide open in shock.

"Anbu Entrance Exams? Are you crazy Hatake. Potential Anbu would easily rip through these constructs. I helped test the prototypes after all." Zabuza said as he watched the screens with amusement.

"As expected from the former Kirigakure no Kijin." Gai commented but was interrupted by Dōmon.

"To be fair, they haven't realized that they don't really need to defeat the Guardian to get the scroll. Naruto-sama has put up multiple failsafe's."

"What do you mean Konjiki?" Asuma asked with confusion as Kakashi's eye widened further in realization as he chuckled. "What's so funny Kakashi?"

"Simple Asuma, I just found out the easiest way to defeat the guardian!"

After a few moments, when the rest of the Konoha Jōnin realized that Kakashi wasn't about to say anything, Kurenai asked, "Care to elaborate for us?"

"Just watch and you will see that Naruto hasn't lost his talent for pranks." Kakashi's eye was glowing with amusement.

* * *

"There must be an easier way!" Shikamaru said as he killed another killer plant when the pedestal caught his eye. Looking up, he saw that Ino was down to three knives as the rest had shattered for the repeated impact with stronger than steel wood. Ino was dodging swipes from the bird's razor sharp, wind enhanced talons. Looking toward Chōji, Shikamaru saw that his big boned friend was having quite the time destroying the plants. Small shard of rock floating around him as the sharp edges shredded the vines and plants like confetti. Then Shikamaru saw the barrier was glowing with a faint translucence.

"It can't be that simple, could it? Bah! This is Naruto we are talking about. He would leave a simple solution that no one would even think about."

"Shika!" Ino screamed as she crashed into the distracted Nara Heir, deep gashes on her right forearm.

Shikamaru and Ino quickly untangled their limbs from the sudden crash and looked up to see that the bird had launched a massive wave of feathers at them. Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock. There was no way either of them would be able to dodge that massive wave. The only way to survive would be to either block or redirect them. Unfortunately for them, none of them had any technique to do that. Only Chōji had the slightest chance, but as the feathers tended to transform into man-eating, toxic sludge spewing, tentacle monstrosities, even that was a pipe dream. There was too much of a chance that the feathers would sprout around the dome and slowly choke them to death while they struggled helplessly like a fly caught in a spider's web.

Chōji had just finished the last of the deadly plants and turned to see that Shikamaru and Ino was about to get impaled by the literal rain of death. He saw Shikamaru close his eyes in resignation. He saw Ino glare up at the wooded bird with defiance as the gashes on her right forearm gushed the crimson live giving fluid, staining the girl's clothes with dark splotches. Without a second thought, Chōji jumped in front of his friends as they were about to be impaled.

Ino saw Chōji take a defensive position in front of her and Shika, causing the girl to gasp in realization. Time seemed to slowdown as the wooden feathers came closer to end the life of her friend. The very thought of losing a friend broke something within the Yamanaka Heiress. Something that was holding back her true power. Before anyone knew what happened, Ino let out a massive, defiant scream as she seemed to teleport directly in front of the wave of wooden feather.

Ino raised her hands and pointed the palms to the approaching wave, all the while screaming. The screaming caused Shikamaru to open his eyes and watch in shock, along with Chōji, as a translucent ripple of power erupted from Ino and flew towards the wooden feathers. As the feathers struck the advancing ripple of power, they seemed to completely shatter into harmless dust. The bird was diving behind the wave of feathers, so was unable to dodge the ripple Ino had generated.

A barrier formed around the bird that fought the ripple for a moment before it shattered. Shikamaru and Chōji thought that the bird was done for, when the ripple suddenly disappeared. At the same time, Ino stopped screaming, her eyes rolling up into her head, as she collapsed from the strain for generating the ripple of telekinetic force.

Shikamaru nodded towards Chōji causing the Akimichi Heir to rush forward and picked up Ino before rushing towards the edge of the clearing. Shikamaru looked up and saw that the bird was heavily damaged and was thrown back from the destructive force. Taking the opportunity, he rushed towards the pedestal and picked up the scroll before running towards where Chōji was tending to Ino wounds.

An angry screech causing Shikamaru to roll forward as the bird's talons swiped through the place his head previously occupied. Without even thinking, Shikamaru tried and took control of the water in the wooden bird before bending it, causing the bird to crash into the ground. Not wasting time, the Nara Heir ran towards Chōji, who was carrying Ino in his arms. Without even speaking, Shikamaru ran towards the barrier with a confused Chōji behind him.

"Shika, what about the bird? We can't leave until we have defeated it, remember?" Chōji asked with confusion as they reached the barrier.

Shikamaru didn't answer as he raised the scroll and placed it on the barrier causing it to flash before fading from existence. Chōji make a great impersonation of a fish at the event before turning to the bird to see it fly up and merge with a large tree.

Seeing Chōji's dumfounded expression, Shikamaru explained, "We misunderstood. Defeat doesn't necessarily mean beaten. The bird was the Guardian of the Scroll. If we are able to take it out of the barrier, then we have defeated it, buy making it fail its purpose. It was so simple, yet I didn't see it until it was too late and Ino had to suffer the consequences."

Chōji nodded in understanding as he placed Ino on the ground and took out an antiseptic ointment and bandages from his tools pouch and proceeded to attend the gashes on Ino right forearm. As he bandaged Ino's arm, Chōji said, "Don't beat yourself up Shika. At least we made it out alive."

Shikamaru didn't answer, but nodded just the same as he then focused his attention to the grass at his feet. Thinking back to what happed with the bird, Shikamaru frowned before he tried to bend the water in the grass. To his surprise, he saw the blades move in the direction he directed them. Getting bolder, Shikamaru tried to draw the water out of the plants and to his surprise, the grass quickly dried up, getting brown before crumbling away as water was extracted from them. Above the suddenly bare patch of earth, a ball of pure water floated causing Shikamaru to smirk in satisfaction before he let the water splash onto the bare earth.

* * *

"Shouldn't we be searching for Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Kukuku… soon Taji-kun. We just need to get a couple of scrolls. I plan on using that to tempt Team 7." The woman said with a creepy smile causing her teammate to nod in understanding, but if one concentrated, they would see that the man was afraid.

"Mam, the scroll is being guarded by a snake summons!" Her other teammate said as they reached the clearing holding the scroll. The scroll was blue in color, placed atop a marble pedestal. The pedestal was carved with glowing seals. From the design, the woman concluded that it was made by Uzumaki Seal Masters. She wasn't looking forward to breaking them. Finally, the pedestal was being guarded by a large black snake with yellow stripes.

"Come out Orochimaru. I know you are there!" The snake hissed out as it raised its head to look at the trio of shinobi.

"Arata-kun. How are you doing?" The woman greeted with a smile as she and her teammates jumped down into the clearing.

"Sssilence traitor! By decree of Hakujā-sssama, you are to be executed!" Orochimaru was easily able to dodge the quick as lightning strike from Arata, but his two teammates weren't as lucky. One of them was swallowed alive by Arata while the other was scratched by one of the venomous fangs.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue in annoyance as he saw his other teammate succumb to the neuro toxin Arata was famous for. Even with the amount of bodily modifications he had done and his high resistance to poisons and toxins of all kinds, Orochimaru knew that Arata's venom would probably not kill him, but put him out of commission, leaving him vulnerable.

"Where issss your courage traitor? Or are you preparing to run with your tail tucked between your legssss like the cur you are?" Arata hissed out with an amused glint in his yellow eyes.

Orochimaru glared at the snake before he regurgitated an ornate sword. Taking a kendo stance, Orochimaru was preparing to attack when he felt vibrations below his feet. Without conscious thought, the snake of a man rolled to the side just as a mud beast erupted from the dirt. It looked like a large snake like creature. Its whole body was carved with glowing seals, while a large glowing red crystal was embedded on its forehead.

Arata chuckled and hissed out, "Have fun with the mud golem Naruto-ssssama and hissss clanssssmen created. You are ssssome of the firsssst to ssssee the first line of defenssssse for Uzu againsssst invaders!"

Orochimaru didn't have time to comment as he had to dodge a strike from mud golem, but not before carving a large mass of mud out of the beast's neck. Orochimaru looked up to see the creature easily regenerate the damage by absorbing more earth from the ground.

The golem opened its mouth and from the gaping maw, Naruto's voice emanated. "Hey Orochi-teme! How is the Class III Adaptoid Golem performing? I hope to your dissatisfaction. Have fun, and make sure to keep an eye out. Don't know what can happen. It is a prototype after all. Prototypes tend to go awry after all!"

Sweat started forming on Orochimaru's forehead. This situation had become more dangerous than he realized. Not only was Arata here, now he had the attention of Uzumaki Naruto as well. He needed to get out of here as soon as he could, or his death would be imminent. Orochimaru made some hand seals and placed his hands in front of his mouth as he breathed out a massive plume of fire that took the form of a dragon.

The Golem didn't even flinch as the intense flames washed over its semi liquid body, hardening the dark mud to reddish brown burnt clay. Orochimaru smirked at finally causing damage to the Golem, and from the sound of shattering burnt clay and the cracks all over the body of the creature, it seemed that he had found a way to finally combat the creature.

Orochimaru started channeling chakra into his sword when his instincts told him of an approaching attack from the back. Without hesitation, Orochimaru rolled to the right, while twisting and slashing at the attacker. To his surprise, it was a smaller mud golem in the shape and size of a large wolf. On its forehead was a shard of glowing red crystal.

Orochimaru watched in shock and awe as the wolf was bisected in half, but quickly regenerated itself by absorbing more mud from the ground. Orochimaru cursed at the predicament as he dodged a pounce from the Wolf only to be sent into a tree from a tail strike from Arata.

Coughing up blood, Orochimaru glared up at the snake only to use a kawarimi to dodge an attack from the main golem. As soon as Orochimaru reappeared on the tree top, he decided that retreat was a better part of valour and turned to leave.

Right before he left, he looked over his shoulder to see a very strange sight. The snake golem dropped multiple globs of mud onto the ground while itself transformed into a massive wolf. The globs of mud bubbled for a few moments before they transformed into smaller wolves. The strange thing was that each and every one of them had glowing red crystal shards embedded into its head.

"Run all you want Traitor, but the Golem and itsss pack will hunt you down like the ssssniveling rat you are!" Arata hissed as he settled back down to guard the scroll.

* * *

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Kyōdaina On'na = Woman of Giant Strength_**

 ** _Shinku Megami = Crimson Goddess_**

 ** _Kirigakure no Kijin = Demon of the Hidden Mist_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _N/A_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. I am sure that most thought that I would have only focused on Naruto's side, but as you can see, you will be seeing the development of the other characters. I am sure that many would agree with the Konoha Jonin about the golems, but as I have shown, there are other ways to defeat them other than sheer brute strength. As for Orochimaru and his escape, do you really think the Golem Pack will be the only obstacle the snake will have to face?**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	25. Chapter 24 - Chunin Exams Part II

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 24 – Chunin Exams Part II**

"I still think you are taking too much of a chance letting him run about like that Naruto-kun." Hiruzen stated as he took a long puff on his pipe.

"Don't worry too much Jiji. I can easily teleport to him when needed. Besides, Anko called dibs on him. Don't you think that Master and Apprentice deserves a long awaited reunion without third party interference?" Naruto stated with a chuckle.

Naruto, Hiruzen and Hideyoshi were sitting in the council chambers with the rest of the Konoha Shinobi Council and Elders. Along with them were the surprising addition of Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki along with Roshi and Han. In the centre of the room was the crystal ball that was the focus of Hiruzen's Tōmegane no Jutsu. Underneath the ball was a sealing array that was generating an illusion in the centre of room. An illusion that displayed the images shown in the crystal ball.

"I agree with the old monkey brat. Orochimaru shouldn't be underestimated!" Ōnoki said as he watched the treacherous Sannin dodge another swipe from the main mud golem only for a smaller wolf to crunch down on his arm.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, one of my clones is keeping a very close eye on the idiot. How about we view someone else. Any preference?"

"Turn to my granddaughter. I want to see what that hot-headed girl is doing. With the amount of deception, you have hidden in how to get the scrolls, I fear that she will bite off more than she can chew."

"As you wish Tsuchikage-dono."

* * *

Kurotsuchi, Suzumebachi and Akastuchi were carefully moving about in the trees surrounding the clearing. In the clearing was their objective. Good news, both scrolls were present. Bad news, they were guarded by Uzumaki Naruto himself. Kurotsuchi shivered in fright as she remembered how powerful Naruto truly was, even a single clone was dangerous.

"I think we should retreat and try our luck someplace else Kurotsuchi." Suzumebachi said with a nervous tilt in her voice.

"I agree with Suzumebachi. We shouldn't tangle with him."

"I would agree but with you two, but he already knows that we are here. While he may allow us to retreat, I doubt that it will make a good impression on him, especially with my grandfather trying to arrange a marriage with him. I doubt a coward will be accepted."

"It isn't cowardice to retreat and regroup when you know that you are outmatched." All three stumbled and nearly fell off their perches. As one, the three Iwa Ninja turned and to their horror saw Naruto standing there with a smile on his face.

"Good to see you again Kurotsuchi. I hope you have fun in the exams. I expect great thing from you, just like I expect great things from Konohamaru."

"Uzumaki-sama!" Kurotsuchi stated with a nervous jitter. "Are you sure that you should move away from the scrolls?"

Suzumebachi and Akatsuchi looked alarmed Kurotsuchi's question. They were very afraid that she had offended Naruto and they would now suffer the consequences. To their shock, instead of being offended, Naruto chuckled as he said, "Who says that the scrolls aren't protected? Do you really think that a simple clone would be the only defence?"

"I didn't mean to offend you, but may we leave. We have decided not to try our hands in getting these scrolls."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow in interest as he asked, "Why would I do that? As soon as you passed the perimeter barrier, the challenge had started. Luckily for you, the challenge isn't a physical one."

"What do you mean Uzumaki-sama?" Suzumebachi asked with fear. If the challenge wasn't a fight, then what could it be?

"Simple, there are traps surrounding pedestal. Seal based traps that are out of a common Jōnin's capabilities to undo. I will give you a puzzle. The answer to the puzzle will be the method to deactivate the seals or bypass them. There will be five puzzles of increasing difficulty. Do you understand?"

The three Iwa ninja gave apprehensive nods causing Naruto to smile and say, "That's the spirit. Sometimes, it is impossible to retreat. You will have limited resources and most of all, be exhausted. This challenge is to see if you have the cleverness to survive in such situations. The first puzzle…"

* * *

"That's not something I expected Naruto. Why puzzles?"

"Simple Jiji, very few would be able to go toe-to-toe with a clone containing only five percent of my skills. So to be fair, I decided to test their minds. After all, those who can survive impossible odds with minimum resources deserve to be Chunin."

Hiruzen chuckled and said, "Your expectations for Chunin ninja remind me of the stories my father told of the Warring Clan Period. I fear that the vaunted S-Rank Shinobi will become a common fixture in the future, especially with your expectations."

Naruto nodded while the rest kept their eyes focused on the illusion showing the Iwa Team.

* * *

"The first puzzle… To touch the earth, one must beware of the waters. While the waters and earth coexist, both still try and subjugate each other. Find the balance between the two and the path will open."

"That makes no sense!" Suzumebachi complained with Kurotsuchi nodding in agreement. Akatsuchi remained stoic as he though through the puzzle.

"I make complete sense. I have even given you the hint as to what the seal does. How to deactivate or bypass it is also in the puzzle. Think and the answer will come." Naruto stated as he walked towards the pedestal.

The Iwa team watched as he passed through translucent barriers. Kurotsuchi and Suzumebachi were annoyed at the ease Naruto had passing though the barriers, but Akatsuchi noticed something interesting. As Naruto walked through the first barrier, the ground started trembling as it got wet.

After pondering for a few moments Akastuchi grinned as he moved to the edge of the barrier with a confident grin.

"I have solved the puzzle. The balance is in the yin and yang components in our chakra. We need to mix four-part yin and one-part yang and then apply the water walking concept to pass!" Akatsuchi stated as he made the ram seal and focused his chakra. After focusing, he passed the barrier and walked over the ground without triggering whatever trap Naruto had set up.

"Impressive, Akatsuchi was it?" Akatsuchi nodded as Naruto smile and said, "I didn't expect you to pick it up so fast. So ladies, are you going to just stand there or join your comrade for the next puzzle?"

Kurotsuchi and Suzumebachi shared a look before cautiously approaching the barrier. Focusing their chakra, they balanced the yin and yang components to the ratio Akatsuchi stated before walking over the trembling ground.

"Now that you lot have passed the first puzzle, let me show you what would have happened if you didn't bypass it." Naruto stated with a grin as he created a Kage Bunshin and had it walk out to the first trap. At first nothing happened but then, before they could even blink, the ground gave away as a large serpent made of water rose and tore the clone to pieces, dispelling it.

"What the hell was that?" Suzumebachi exclaimed in horror as the serpent merged back with the ground as the hole was filled in with new dirt.

"One of the six guardians. The golems are created with the use of fūinjutsu and senjutsu. That's all you need to know. Now the next puzzle…"

* * *

The three kunoichi from Uzu were cautiously watching the pair of metallic human statues for any signs of movement. Of all the things they could have faced, they were just unlucky to face the twin golems, as Zabuza called them. Their bodies were crafted from a metallic alloy and infused with seals to animate them. The seals even gave them limited sentience to the point of imitating humans. The twins were named Agni and Rudra. The two names were taken from mythology from before the Rikudō Sennin introduced ninshu. They were the names of gods that jointly governed over fire and lightning. One holding the more peaceful domains while the other holding the destructive side of the fire and lightning.

"This isn't good. Why the hell are those two here?" Karin asked with wide eyes.

"This is Naruto-sama we are talking about. I doubt we need to defeat them, especially since both are immune to fire and lightning. Face it, we have no chance of defeating them." Suiren stated with a frown. "My crystals will harmlessly shatter on their metallic bodies, same with Haku's ice. Maybe, Karin and I could hold them down for a short time so that Haku can take the scroll, but I doubt it would be that simple."

"Maybe, maybe not. I think I can use the Kongō Fūsa to hold them back with some help from you Suiren. Haku, you will need to use your limited knowledge on seals to get the scrolls. From the shiki, I will hazard a guess that it is some kind of blood seal. You will need to smear blood in the right sequence on the points to disable the barrier. Then you can take the scroll." Karin said as she carefully observed the seals carved into the pedestal with a pair of binoculars that Suiren created with her Shōton.

"Can you guess the pattern Karin?"

"Not from here. I can't read all the symbols from here. You will have to figure it out. We will keep the twin guardians distracted."

Suiren nodded before grinning as she created a simple hexagonal crystal. Using her control over the crystal, she carved an Uzumaki grade demolitions seal onto the surface of the crystal before letting a drop of blood fall in the centre of the solid shuriken like construct. "Let's get the party started, what do you say?"

"Suiren, WAIT!" Haku screamed only for the blue haired girl to grin and throw the seal bearing crystal shuriken towards Agni and Rudra.

The sound of the shuriken cutting through the air drew both metallic golems attention. Seeing the crystal flying towards them, glowing with an ever brightening inner light, they jumped away just as the shuriken struck the ground and exploded.

Both guardians looked about trying to get a glimpse of their attacker when they sensed and attack from below. Jumping back, they saw two golden chains of chakra erupt from the ground. Growling, both started channelling the nature chakra flowing through their artificial bodies as fire and lightning erupted around their respective blades.

"Come out and face us you cowards! Defeat us and we shall allow you access to the scroll we guard!" Rudra exclaimed with a metallic screech.

"As if," Karin said with a chuckle as her voice floated around the clearing. "We aren't going to fall for that. There is no way to physically defeating you to for a team of mere Genin."

"Hmm… it seems that we have intelligent opponents brother. They are wise enough to know their limits. They pass our test, do they not?" Agni said as he extinguished his sword and sheathed it at his waist. Rudra followed his example, as the sword in his hands stopped sparking with lightning before the metallic golem slid the sword into its holster in the back.

"That they do!" Rudra stated before calling out, "Genin, you have passed our challenge. You may attempt to break the protection seal on the pedestal, but be warned, only one chance per team. Only one member may approach the pedestal. If you fail, we will forcefully remove you from the exams."

"Who shall be your candidate? You may choose not to take the final challenge and retreat. Doing so will keep you in the exams but will make you ineligible for a second attempt at these scrolls."

Suiren, Haku and Karin cautiously approached the twin golems before sharing a look. After a few moments, Karin walked forward with a confident gait as she said, "I shall take a crack at the seal!"

"Very well. You will have one minute. If you aren't able to disable the seal within that time limit, you will fail!" Agni stated causing Karin, Haku and Suiren to pale in response. This just kept getting better and better. One minute was too little time, even for Karin.

"Ah… can we still back out?" Karin asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Unfortunately no. If you try, we shall forcefully retire you from the exams!" Rudra said with a suddenly menacing tone. Karin gulped as she nodded to herself and approached the pedestal.

* * *

"Interesting challenge Naruto-sama. Do you believe that Karin-san will be able to break the seal within a minute?" Hiashi asked with interest. He was quite intrigued by the amount of intricate sealing done to prepare for this year's exam.

"Let us see. I have great expectations of her, but Karin is still not up to Uzumaki standards for her age, though I didn't expect the twins to impose a time limit of only a minute. They must have done that since they could sense that Karin is an Uzumaki. For others, the time limit is supposed to be five minutes."

"So a bit out of plan?" Shikaku asked with concern. Sentient golems who are able to override commands given to them is a bit unsettling of the man.

"A bit, but I did allow them a bit of leeway in their orders. Quite clever to use the small loop hole I accidentally left." Naruto mused with a grin.

"What were the orders you gave Naruto-kun?" Hideyoshi asked with interest.

"They were to test the bravery and wisdom of the teams. If the team in question passed the initial test, they would allow a single member, a single chance to break the seal with a limited time of up to five minutes, at the golems discretion. The time limit was to be set by the performance of said team. Team Uzu's performance was flawless in the first test, so they should have been given five minutes, but as I said the loop hole is quite simple…"

"Up to five minutes at their discretion. I can see how they manipulated the loop hole. You should be much more careful when ordering these two golems in the future Naruto-sama. Make sure to plug in all loop holes they could utilize." Shikaku stated causing Naruto to nod as he watched with interest as Karin bit thumb and started rubbing blood on the points in a sequence.

After she finished rubbing blood on the final point, she brought her hands into the ram seal and focused her chakra, causing the blood smears to glow. Everyone anxiously waited for the outcome. After a few moments, everyone believed that the girl had failed, when a small dome appeared atop the pedestal before shattering into motes of green chakra.

* * *

"Interesting, I didn't expect you to be able to break the seal so easily. You truly are a credit to your clan Karin-sama. It would be our pleasure to protect you and the rest of Uzu in the future. Please, take the scrolls and leave. Head north from here, you will come to a small river. Follow the river upstream and you will reach the tower. I would advise that you make haste. There will be others prowling for easy scrolls, not to mention the time bases sealing traps." Agni stated with an ominous tone before he and Rudra glowed, showing seals all over their bodies. After a few moments, they vanished in flashes of light, leaving behind two metallic and crystal cores with seals carved into them, the size of large grapefruits.

"I was really nervous there in the end Karin. I though you wouldn't make it in time." Suiren said with wide eyes as a cold sweat dripped down her and her teammates faces.

"For a moment, so did I Suiren. Let's head to the tower now. I don't want to waste time and get ambushed by who knows what!"

"I agree with Karin, and Karin, good job. Alright girls, let's move out!" Haku said as the three turned north and disappeared, leaving behind a blurring trail of their hair colours.

* * *

"Something isn't right with this situation!" Sasuke commented as he and his two teammates looked down from a tall tree. They were in an area of the Forest of Death which was sparsely populated with the huge trees. By no means was it a clearing, just the concentration of trees was much lower than expected. The area was giving off a serene presence but that presence was what alerted Sasuke to the strangeness of the situation.

Team 7 had just arrived here after gaining their first scroll, a heaven scroll, by completely destroying the wooden golem guardian with Konohamaru's Combustion Bending and Sasuke's Fire Bending while Sai conjured up a monkey made of ink to fetch the scroll. Quite easy for the trio, if they may say so themselves, but now, all three were on alert. Something just didn't feel right.

The scroll was placed on a wooden platform that jutted out halfway up one of the large trees. That itself caused them to freeze. All three knew of the famed Mokuton and that there were only two users present in Konoha at the moment. If the scroll had either of them as a guardian, then the whole exam got far more interesting… not to mention harder. The second thing that alerted them to the unnaturalness of the situation was that the sound of creatures was completely absent. That was a big indicator of something unnatural. Finally, there were the glowing seals strategically placed all around the tree with the scroll, spreading out to nearly half a kilometre. If this didn't spell trap, nothing did.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Sasuke turned to Sai and said, "Send a few ink mice towards the tree. Try to trigger as many of the seal based tarps as possible Sai. We need to remove as many of them as we can before we approach."

"I don't think the mice will activate the traps, but I will do as you request Uchiha. Something about this situation has me… all of us on edge, so be ready to retreat at a moment's notice." The pale boy said as he used his water bending skills to manipulate some of the ink stored in his gourd into the form of multiple mice before using ninjutsu to bring them to life.

The mice climbed down form the tree branch the members of Team 7 were perched on and quickly scurried towards the scroll. The first few seals didn't even register them pass. Sai mentally commanded the mice to try and forcefully activate the seals only to fail. Seeing that the mice were unharmed, Sai had them creep forwards until they were nearly at the base of the scroll tree when one of the traps activated. Before the tree Genin could even blink, a pin point sized rotating black ball came to existence for less than a second before disappearing.

The Genin gaped at the amount of damage the seal trap did. Those precious few milliseconds were all the trap needed to shred the mice and most of the surrounding area into dust. From what the three could deduce, the ball attracted anything and everything in range while tearing anything caught within close proximity to shreds. If that was a human, the only thing anyone would find would be shredded slices of flesh.

"Why don't we just retreat and try at another place? I don't know about you, but I would love to keep my limbs attached." Konohamaru stated with a nervous tilt to his voice. Sasuke and Sai silently nodded in agreement and turned to leave when a massive wave of wind caught them off guard, blowing them into the closest tree before roughly falling onto the ground.

Groaning in pain, the three Genin stood up to see a Kusa Kunoichi standing where they previously occupied, looking down at them with a baleful glare. "Sasuke-kun, it is so nice to meet you at last. I am sorry to say, that I don't have much time to play with you as I had wished, so please accept my gift and be done with it!"

With that said, the woman unleashed a massive quantity of killing intent that should have immobilized what she considered mere Genin as her neck extended towards Sasuke, with her mouth wide open, fang like teeth ready to bite down.

Before the head and neck extend more than a couple of feet, spikes of wood flew out of the branch in an attempt to skewer the Kusa Kunoichi. The Kunoichi jumped back to dodge the spikes only to be kicked in the back by a burning leg, throwing her away for the Genin and crashing into the ground triggering one of the seals embedded in the soil. Before the woman could even realize what happened, a blast of intense lightning erupted around her feet causing her to scream in pain.

"Gaki's take the scroll and get out of here. Head to the Tower, don't wait around. Tora and I will handle the snake."

"We can help!" Konohamaru exclaimed only for Sasuke to smack the boy behind the head and comment with a sneer, "Don't even think about it Konohamaru. If Anbu and Jōnin are handling this one, we have no need to become a burden to them. Besides we have an exam to finish. Sai, you got the scroll?"

"Let's go, the quicker we get away for here, the better!"

Clapping sound filled the area drawing everyone's attention, though Anko and Tora kept an eye on the Kusa Kunoichi, still on the ground suffering from muscle spasms. The Kusa Kunoichi looked up with great difficulty and glared at the source.

"Shisho?" Konohamaru asked with confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I am just a Blood Clone Konohamaru. Now get going. Orochimaru's main target is Sasuke and his Sharingan, so it is better that he reaches a heavily protected area before too long. As of you Orochimaru, you must be the greatest fool in known history. Did you forget that no one can fool my sensory perception? Sneaking into Konoha is the last mistake you will ever do!" Naruto said with a sneer before nodding to Anko as Team 7 quickly vacated the area, just as Orochimaru stood up, muscles still twitching from the intense electrical shock.

Anko gained a malicious smirk as she cooed out, "You know sensei, I think this look fits you. I believe that it is fitting that you die a worthless woman, like you claimed I was. Now scream bitch!"

Orochimaru tried to activate the cursed seal on Anko only to be shocked when it didn't respond. Her eyes widened even further when lightning erupted from Anko's fingertips and struck the place she previously occupied. It was a good thing she was able to jump back or form the scorch marks she witnessed the lightning left, she would be nothing more than a screaming pile of flesh.

"It seems that Naruto has taught you how to use this vaunted Ninshu as well, has he Anko? It won't do you any good. I will win in the end. After all, you never learned everything you could under me. You shouldn't have gone against me Anko, you could have been great!"

"Cut the small talk teme! I will rip out you heart and drink the blood dripping out of the shrivelled up piece of flesh!" Anko screamed in anger as she charged forward swinging her fists releasing blast of concentrated fire at the Snake Sannin.

To Orochimaru's credit, she was still able to dodge most of the blast with the agility of a snake as she returned fire with shuriken and kunai. Anko didn't even blink as she brushed the projectile weapons away with swipes of her palms, as she manipulated the very air to do her bidding.

Jumping, Anko used a burst of concentrated flames to launch higher into the air before crashing down on top of Orochimaru with her heels enshrouded in crimson flames. An explosion occurred throwing the master and apprentice duo back. Anko easily corrected her flight and landed on the balls of her feet, but Orochimaru was thrown back into another tree which activated another seal causing Orochimaru to be caught in a hexagonal barrier.

"Oh… looks like the mouse trap caught a snake instead. I really love that one." Naruto said with a grin prompting Tora to ask, "What does it do Naruto-sama?"

Naruto didn't answer Tora, instead he shouted out, "Oi Anko, do you know that I can have the box change size?"

"No, but what does that matter. With enough force, sensei should be able to break the barrier."

"Not quite. Touching the barrier will electrocute the snake, so you get my drift?"

Anko gained a sick grin as she nodded before saying, "Still for the benefit of our guest, you should explain Naruto-sama."

"Quite right. Listen well Orochimaru, the barrier absorbs any excess chakra it comes in contact with and then channels it back into the captive as an intense jolt of electricity. Besides it would need a chakra force of a high A-Rank jutsu for cracks to form. Can you guess what will happen if you do try to escape?"

Orochimaru glared at Naruto as he cursed the blonde haired Daimyō in his head right before he paled. Surrounding his position were the mud wolves with the crystal fragments on their foreheads and on his left was the larger wold with the glowing crystal orb on its forehead.

"Any last words Sensei? I will be sure to not remember them." Anko teased with a dark grin before the barrier collapsed upon itself. The last thing Orochimaru remembered before falling unconscious was an intense white light as insurmountable pain overcame all her physical senses.

* * *

Snake like amber eyes opened to a sight they were intimately familiar with. The woman was surprised to see that he was inside one of the cells that she once used to hold her failed experiments for observation. From what she could deduce, it was the very same base that her former sensei had raided with Anbu and drove her from her home and research.

A red light shined for a moment as she heard the sound of someone puffing on a smoking pipe. The darkness beyond the cell hid everything from even her enhanced sight, but the little red light drew her attention. Focusing, she managed to make out the form of an old man sitting on a chair with a careless presence. The woman smirked as she greeted the mysterious figure, "Sensei, so nice to see you again. I didn't expect to meet you for another month!"

"And I had hoped that you would have wizened up and stopped with your futile quest Orochimaru. Whose body are you inhabiting?"

"A Kunoichi who used to serve me. I saved her from some lecherous Nukenin. For that, she decided to serve me in any capacity she could. She even offered me her body in gratitude. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that I saw the offer a little differently from her. Though I must say, she wasn't too displeased when she learned that I would be taking over her body. You may say, she was even overjoyed to be of service."

"A young life extinguished due to your quest for immortality. She must have been very competent for you to speak so fondly of her."

"That she was Sensei, though I doubt that you came here to ask how I have been?" Orochimaru said with a smirk as Hiruzen stood up and approached the bars of the cell, putting his face into sharp relief from the shadowy light. The stern countenance cause Orochimaru to flinch. She hadn't seen such disappointment in her former sensei's face since he was a Genin.

"It pains me to say this Orochimaru, but you are going to be executed in a month, during the finals of the Chunin Exams. You will be used to set an example for all Shinobi and Kunoichi of Konoha. They shall know what will happen should they turn on us."

"Kukuku… So tyrannical of you, sensei. I didn't expect that of you, especially since you never liked using excessive force. What changed?"

"Oh, it wasn't I who ordered your execution. It was Naruto. After all, I am only keeping the seat warm until the Chunin exams end. After that, Naruto will be officially taking over as the Godaime Hokage. It is quite interesting isn't it that the son would succeed the father. I find it quite poetic. Good bye Orochimaru, don't expect Tsunade ore Jiraiya to come meet you. Even I didn't wish to see you, but I decided that it was my duty as your sensei to give you a final lesson. Actions always have consequences my wayward student, now you must reap what you have sown for so long. Good bye, for I doubt you will be able to escape. After all it may have once been your base, but Naruto has turned it into a fortress designed for a singular purpose… and that is to hold you."

Orochimaru watched as Hiruzen moved back and vanished into the gloomy darkness that engulfed the area beyond the cell block. As Hiruzen left, Orochimaru grinned as he saw that Hiruzen and Naruto were overconfident. The seals added to the door would be quite easy to break, now she just had to wait until the right time to escape.

* * *

The ten teams that made it through the Second Phase of the Chunin Exams were arrayed in the centre of an arena built in the tower. The arena was surrounded by a high cat walk with the Hokage and his guests sitting in a box carved into the very structure of the tower. The teams that managed to pass the phase were none other than the illustrious Teams 7, 8, 9 and 10 from Konoha joined by Team Kabuto. The full Kunoichi team from Uzu were also a contender. Gaara and his siblings were the team from Suna, while Team Kirabi represented Kumo. Kurotsuchi and her teammates also made the cut with a surprising presence of the Oto Team.

The Tsuchikage and surprisingly the Mizukage were sitting on either side of the Hokage. Teams 7 and 9 were surprised at the presence of Terumi Mei, the Godaime Mizukage. Naruto was leaning on the statue of the two hands making the ram seal eating from an instant ramen cup.

Hiruzen stood up and started speaking, "The Chunin Exams are a sacred ritual. It was instated to promote international cooperation and deter war between the nations. To be exact, the Chunin Exams are the substitute for war."

Some of the gathered Genin were about to protest when a heavy presence fell on fell on their shoulders sending shivers down their backs. Casting a wary glance at Naruto, they kept their peace and allowed Hiruzen to continue. "Luckily, that is the obsolete definition. As of this iteration, the Chunin Exams are an institution to promote understanding and eventual friendship between the participating nations, or to strengthening the existing friendship between allied nations. That doesn't mean that you lot are free to be lazy. You are here to both foster understanding and friendship, but also represent the relative strength of your countries."

"Ahem…" Naruto interrupted causing Hiruzen to nod and say, "Now I will turn over the explanation to Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun, if you will!"

"Thank you Hiruzen-dono and I welcome you to the Konoha Ōnoki-dono, Mei-dono. Please enjoy your stay. Now Genin, pay attention, there are too many of you at present. Normally only eight Genin are allowed into the finals. This time, upto sixteen will be allowed. The finals are normally hosted as a single day event, but this one will be a three-day event. The first day will be used to select the quarter finalists. The second day is for the quarter-finals and the semi-finals. The finals will be hosted on the final day with a preceding exhibition match between me and the legendary Kumo duo of the Raikage Ē and his brother, the Hachibi Jinchūriki, Kirabi."

Mei and Ōnoki looked startled at the news, but decided to not comment as Naruto continued, "I am sure that you have all deduced that the third and final phase will be a tournament style elimination battle. Now I am sure that a single question is running through your heads. The answer to it is no. Your performance in the fights will be separately evaluated by a team of impartial judges before recommendations will be sent to your respective Kage. None of you may be recommended or all of you may, there is no fixed number of recommendations. The final say lies with your respective Kage."

Seeing the confused look on Kiba's face, Naruto sighed before stating, "Simply, the longer you stay in the tournament, the more time you will get to impress the judges and the greater chance you will have to be promoted. Also, we shall be holding a preliminary to cut your numbers in half. With thirty Genin here, only fifteen will be allowed, so get ready for your matches. Each match type and contestants will be randomly selected. Your match type and your names will be displayed in the large screen. I shall be the proctor for the finals and the preliminaries. Rules are simple. To win, you must defeat your opponent, or opponent, or when I declare someone the winner. Wilful killing, while allowed, is highly frowned upon and will be a black mark against your promotion. My decision is final. Contest it, and I will make sure that your ninja license is revoked and chakra system sealed away with an Uzumaki Prisoner Seal!"

"WHAT? TSUCHIKAGE-SAMA WILL NEVER AGREE WITH THAT!" The sudden presence focused on her caused the girl to gulp in fear before the killing intent hit her. Turning to the source, she saw that Ōnoki was glaring at her.

"Suzumebachi! I will agree with Uzumaki-sama's decision as I know him to be fair. His honour is impeccable. Do not bring into question the decisions of your superiors!"

"Kamizuru, that is a mark against you. If you get into the finals, be sure that you will have to work twice as hard to impress the judges as none of them will be pleased with your outburst. After all, none of them reached their positions due to favour from their Kage!" Naruto said with a chuckle causing the Jōnin and the Kage to chuckle with Naruto.

"Huh?" Suzumebachi asked with confusion before her eyes widened in realization as she looked up at the Kage getting a nod for Ōnoki, a smile from Hiruzen and a wink from Mei.

"Anyways… Anko activate the selection process. Let us see who shall become our first participants and they type of match they will be in." Naruto said before motioning for the Genin to head to the catwalk. As the Genin walked up to the catwalk, Kurotsuchi jabbed Suzumebachi in the ribs and hissed out, "Are you crazy? Are you trying to get Uzumaki-sama mad at Iwa? Don't you remember what I said of his prowess? Do you really want to make my life hell?"

"Sorry, but I got caught in the moment. I promise to apologize to him as soon as I can!"

"Just hope that you haven't already destroyed any possibility of me having a good marriage with him. Now let's keep the temper under control shall we. If I can, so can you, cousin!" Suzumebachi nodded as she leaned on the railing with Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi while their Sensei, Roshi, standing behind them.

All around the catwalks teams and their sensei were arrayed waiting for the start of the matches with some of the teams intermingling with each other.

"Will Kamizuru Suzumebachi and Aburame Shino please come down!"

Suzumebachi was surprised but jumped down from the catwalk with Shino appearing in a standard shunshin. Naruto walked up to the middle of the two and started declaring the extra rules for their match. "There are two extra rules due to match type. The first is that Kawarimi is forbidden. The second is that the match must be a close quarter to mid-range one. No long range technique may be used! To be exact, it is a match to simulate an enclosed area with no substitutable material. BEGIN!"

* * *

"I expected both of them to charge in a soon as the battle began."

"I know what you mean Kakashi. It is quite surprising to see an Aburame and a Kamizuru specializing in their jibachi jutsu to not but head at the first chance." Gai said with a grin.

"Either way, the battle will be interesting. Personally, I believe that the Aburame has the advantage. After all he is a ninshu adept. That will give him a bit of an advantage." Zabuza said as they watched Shino and Suzumebachi circle each other with caution. Without any indication, Suzumebachi cupped her hands together before throwing it forwards calling out the name of her jutsu.

"Ninpō: Jibachidama!" A ball of writhing hornets was launched towards Shino who calmly got into a taijutsu stance. When the ball of hornets was in range, Shino raised his right leg in a quick vertical sweep causing a wave of fire to form from the arc and consume the ball of hornets.

Suzumebachi, who was preparing another jibachi jutsu, jumped back from the advancing flames with a growl. Sneering, Susumebachi asked, "This is quite low of you Aburame. Have you forsaken your clan's traditions and decided to learn Ninjutsu?"

Shino didn't respond at first causing the girl to clench her teeth for a moment before taking out a pair of shuriken and throwing them at Shino, causing the Aburame Heir to smirk behind the high collar of his coat as jumped. Twisting in the air, he performed a spin kick releasing a wave of blistering flames that blew away the shuriken and flew towards Suzumebachi.

The girl cursed as she jumped to the side only to be hit in the face by a ball of kikaichu. The girl was thrown back by the impact as the kikaichu started crawling all over the girl. Luckily, the girls own jibachi started killing off the kikaichu before they could drain too much of the girl's chakra. Panting harshly from the sudden drop of chakra, Suzumebachi gritted her teeth before going through some hand seals and crashing her palms onto the ground beneath her calling out, "Dōton: Tajū Hiyari!"

Spikes of rock jutted out and flew towards Shino who calmly spurn around on his heel with his right extended parallel to the ground causing an arc of flames to erupt for the bottom of his heels and fly towards the flying rock spears. Suzumebachi watched with a gaping mouth as the flames knocked the spears off course and flew towards her again. This time, the wave was too large for her to dodge, so without thinking, Suzumebachi closed her eyes and used Kawarimi to save herself.

The wave of flames burned the wooden log to ashes when Naruto reappeared behind Shino and caught the kick Suzumebachi had directed towards the Aburame Heir's head. "Kamizuru Suzumebachi is disqualified for the use of Kawarimi when it was explicitly forbidden. The winner is Aburame Shino!"

Suzumebachi growled in frustration as she trudged up to the catwalk while Shino appeared beside his team in a shunshin. After both were out of the arena, Naruto called up the next contestants while declaring the type of match.

"Will Abumi Zaku of Oto, Misumi Tsurugi of Konoha, Gaara of Suna and Rock Lee of Konoha please come down to the arena! This battle will be a two on two team battle with the teams formed at random between the selected contestant!" Naruto stated as the contestants walked down to the Arena. When all four were situated around Naruto, the blonde Daimyō declared the teams. "The teams shall be Gaara of Suna with Rock Lee of Konoha and Abumi Zaku of Oto with Misumi Tsurugi of Konoha, begin!"

Naruto vanished from between the four eager Genin while the four looked at each other, trying to size each other up.

* * *

"I have a very bad feeling about this!" Temari worried as Gaara gained a malicious glint in his eyes while Lee charged forward towards Zaku.

"Do not worry Temari. After the sealing, Gaara has been very tame. I am sure that he will not lose control, though I doubt his opponents will come out unscathed." Baki said with a serious face.

"You are mistaken Baki-san. I am sure that Lee will be the one to cause the most harm. Misumi Tsurugi and his teammates are actually traitors to Konoha. We don't have actual proof but we know it to be true. All Konoha Genin has been ordered to eliminate them if given the chance. Lee hates traitors with a passion, so I am actually quite afraid what my youthful student will do before he ends the traitor's life." Gai said with a sombre expression. It was only then, did Baki sense the barrier surrounding them. Baki nodded in understanding that he was told that for a reason.

"I see. A very unique way to deal with traitors that can't be proved who they are." Gai nodded to the statement as Temari and Kankuro gaped at the conversation.

* * *

"Rock Lee, you press the attack. I will support you with my ninjutsu!" Gaara stated as he released a wave of suna shuriken at Zaku causing the boy to prematurely use his jutsu to counteract Gaara's giving Lee a chance to move in and kick Zaku in the gut all the while calling out, "Dynamic Entry!"

Tsurugi took the chance to try and attack Lee only for Lee to spin around and thrust his palms out causing a burst of wind to blow Tsurugi away before jumping over Zaku as Gaara's sand struck like a snake at the Oto Genin.

Luckily for Zaku, he was able to get out of Gaara's sand with a quick Kawarimi and appear behind the red headed boy. Raising his hands, Zaku grinned as he screamed out, "Zankūkyokūha!"

Gaara smirked as he made the ram seal causing sand to coalesce into the form of Shukaku as the future Godaime Kazekage called out, "Shukaku no Tate!" The powerful futon jutsu collided with the statue of Shukaku and exploded causing dust and sand to be thrown up before being blown away to show that the statue was barely chipped. Zaku looked on in horror as his strongest jutsu was easily nullified by Gaara. Seeing that Zaku was preoccupied with being stunned and Lee had Tsurugi on the ropes with his Air Bending and Gōken Taijutsu, Gaara focused his attention to silence Zaku.

Gaara closed his eyes for a moment before sand started gathering around him. Normally it took some time, but it seems that being in sync with Shukaku had drastically reduced the time it takes for him to draw out enough of Shukaku's chakra to form the chakra cloak. In fact, the cloak seemed different as when he finally finished forming it, the sand fell away to reveal a bubbling red chakra cloak like the one he remembered Naruto spreading around the Alliance.

"Oh ho! It seems that you have decided to get serious my youthful Jinchūriki friend. Let me not hold you back!" Lee said as he dropped his weights causing most of the Konoha Genin trained by Naruto to wince as they were reminded of Lee's speed without his weights. "Let me show you the true power of wind!"

* * *

"Oh great. Now we will be watching a ping pong match again!" Ino complained as Lee vanished in a burst of wind and reappeared behind Tsurugi. Before the elder Konoha Genin could even react, he was sent flying by the kick towards Gaara who didn't even blink as he kicked the boy towards Zaku.

Zaku was only able to scream in pain as he was suddenly sent flying towards the approaching Tsurugi form a powerful kick to his spine. As the two Genin collided with each other, they were forcefully separated by strategically placed kicks from Lee and Gaara. For the next few minutes, the only was anyone could describe the match was a skilful play of Ping-Pong with two humans as the balls.

The cries of pain and the sharp noise of shattering bones along with the sound of heavy impacts on flesh was the only sound heard in the arena as everyone quietly watched the impromptu and macabre table tennis match Gaara and Lee decided to have with their two opponents.

* * *

"Gaara, my youthful friend! What would you say to ending this useless match? I feel unyouthful continuing this mockery of a match." Lee asked as he kicked Zaku into the air.

"My thoughts exactly!" Gaara said with a malicious grin as he punched Tsurugi in the stomach and launched towards the place Zaku was falling.

Right before Zaku and Tsurugi, now both nearly catatonic from the abuse they suffered, collided, Lee and Gaara appeared and landed brutal stomps to their ribs. The loud cracking sound was clearly heard throughout the room right before Zaku and Tsurugi screamed in delirious pain and coughed up blood.

Falling on the ground, the two promptly lost consciousness as the bubbling cloak of chakra receded into Gaara while Lee picked up his weights and reattached them to his legs. After letting them take a couple of breaths, Naruto appeared and checked their pulses.

"Winners Gaara and Lee! Medics!"

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki = Ōnoki of Both Scales_**

 ** _Jibachi = Hornets_**

 ** _Kikaichu = Destruction Beetles_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Tōmegane no Jutsu = Telescope Technique_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clone_**

 ** _Kongō Fūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains_**

 ** _Kawarimi = Substitution_**

 ** _Jibachi jutsu = Hornet Jutsu_**

 ** _Ninpō: Jibachidama = Ninja Art: Hornet Ball_**

 ** _Dōton: Tajū Hiyari = Earth Release: Multiple Flying Spears_**

 ** _Suna Shuriken = Sand Shuriken_**

 ** _Zankūkyokūha = Extreme Decapitating Air Wave_**

 ** _Shukaku no Tate = Shield of Shukaku_**

 ** _Gōken = Strong Fist_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. Do not fear, Orochimaru will make an escape.**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	26. Chapter 25 - Chunin Exams Part III

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 25 – Chunin Exams Part III**

"That was the most brutal one-sided beat downs I have ever witnessed. Oi, Maitō! What the hell have you been teaching your student?" Dōmon teased causing Gai to chuckle and say, "Just what he needs, though some of it was Naruto-sama's teachings. A most youthful battle, won't you say, Konjiki?"

Dōmon nodded his head before saying, "An understatement, though when my kids take the stage… Let's just say that I already feel pity for their opponents."

"If what I have heard from Zabuza is true, then I agree. They will be a nightmare for any taijutsu specialist, let alone a ninjutsu specialist. The Advanced Kōton is truly a dangerous ability. I wouldn't mind taking a shot against them when they are ready."

"I would advise against it Gai. I saw the kids learning Metal Bending. With their ability to create and bend the metal at will, they will be far more dangerous than any other shinobi with Shikotsumyaku or the old Kōton." Zabuza said as he leaned on the railing beside the spandex clad Jōnin.

* * *

"Congratulations Lee, though did you have to go so far?" Tenten asked with annoyance.

"Against unyouthful comrades, there is no such thing as overkill! Naruto-kun said that, remember?"

Tenten just shook her head and was about to keep arguing when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Ino shake her head and say, "Let it go Tenten. Besides, if it was me, they would have been brain dead. Congratulations Lee, I wouldn't mind testing my air bending against yours."

"Yosh! Then make sure to face me in the finals Ino-san!" Lee exclaimed causing Ino to chuckle and nod.

"Will Kamizuru Kurotsuchi of Iwa and Sai of Konoha please head down to the arena!"

"It seems that the idiots have been carted away. This match should be interesting." Ino said getting a nod from Lee and Tenten.

* * *

"The specific rules for this match shall be no close quarters combat. Everything other than killing is allowed. HAJIME!"

Kurotsuchi didn't waste any time as she weaved some handseals and then proceeded to spit out a few globs of what looked like quicklime as she called out, "Yōton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu!"

Sai didn't waste any time as he dogged the technique and retaliated by throwing up a sealing scroll. The scroll released its contents in a puff of smoke causing Kurotsuchi to jump back out of the possible area of effect and wait for the results. At first the Iwa Kunoichi was quite surprised to see a black aqueous substance rain down from the cloud of smoke but quickly tensed when she saw Sai perform some strange taijutsu katas. At first she was confused but when she saw the black aqueous substance move, she quickly weaved a few hand seals and blasted out a wave of lava calling out, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!"

The thin tendrils of ink that Sai had launched at the Iwa kunoichi were easily vaporised by the wave of super-heated rock causing the pale boy to jump back and motion for his ink to flow away from the scorching lava. Unfortunately for Sai, the lava had already vaporised a lot of the water in the ink leaving behind very thick and viscous blobs of ink that was quite hard for Sai to bend to his will. Seeing that his advantage was nearly nullified, but unwilling to give up just yet, Sai focused his will and he bended the viscous blobs into the form of lions and with a burst of chakra, he animated them while mentally commanding them to attack Kurotsuchi with extreme prejudice.

Kurotsuchi was at first shocked at the three ink lions bearing down on her but with a quick application of Kawarimi, dodged the first pounce and retaliated with another scorching wave of lava that easily vaporised the first and partially the second while the third easily jumped away.

Kurotsuchi didn't have any chance to celebrate as her adrenalin enhanced senses alerted her to the approaching danger. Rolling forward, Kurotsuchi pulled out a kunai and batted away the shuriken before throwing the blade at her opponent before turning her attention back to the two lions, one of which was much smaller than before.

* * *

"She is doing very well!" Ino stated with interest causing her friends and comrades to nod in agreement. "Then again, it is to be expected. She is the granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, who was the rival of our own Sandaime-sama."

"I agree with you there. Besides, Naruto-kun did say that he had sensed immense potential in her. I wonder how far she could go with ninshu." Hinata commented only for Sakura to pipe up and state, "She has enough potential to easily reach Kage Level at a young age even without ninshu. The way she is spamming Yōton jutsu is a testament of her potential."

"I agree with you there Sakura, though I believe that she is quickly reaching her limit." Tsunade said as she leaned on the wall beside Sakura with Shizune while staring at the battle occurring down below.

"I didn't say that she is at Kage Level. She just has the potential. Besides, how many Shinobi and Kunoichi at her age have you met who has such a high chakra levels outside being a Jinchūriki, an Uzumaki or both?"

"A valid question with a very dissatisfying answer of a handful. How do you think you would fare against her, if both of you were at the same level?" Tsunade asked drawing everyone's attention.

Sakura frowned for a moment before saying, "That depends on stamina and tactics. The one with the greater stamina is at a better place while the one with superior tactics would be the game changer. Personally, I would hazard that it would be a difficulty fight, but in the end, I would win because I can easily shut down any of her earth and lava jutsu."

Tsunade nodded as she stated, "My thoughts exactly. Besides, that Sai kid doesn't stand a chance. I can tell that this battle is way out of his comfort zone. Reminds me of the time I battled against Hanzō with Orochimaru and Jiraiya. We lost!"

Everyone winced at her pronouncement but nodded in agreement as Sai did seem to be reaching his limits. He was barely able to dodge the shuriken and quicklime technique Kurotsuchi was using to distract him while she destroyed another of his ink beast with another Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu before turning her attention back to Sai.

* * *

"It seems that your ink based jutsu and ninshu isn't really up to defeating me Sai," taunted Kurotsuchi causing Sai to narrow his eyes as he dodged another volley of shuriken. Gritting his teeth, Sai mentally commanded his last beast imitation lion to launch a kamakazi attack as a last desparate hope.

Unfortunately, Kurotsuchi predicted him and dodged with a flawless kawarimi and douse the lion in a stream of lava. Seeing his final lion be vaporized. Sai sighed in disappointment and raised his right hand calling out, "Proctor, I forfeit!"

"Winner by forfeit, Kamizuru Kurotsuchi of Iwa!" Naruto declared appearing in the middle of the arena right over a patch of boiling lava. He would have been burned had he not been floating a few feet above the patch. With a single swipe of his hands, all the lava congealed and cooled off into ash gray stone.

Kurotsuchi and Sai nodded to each other and jumped back up onto the catwalk and waited for the next match to start.

"Will Uzumaki Karin, Tsuchi Kin, Kazekage Temari, Higurashi Tenten, Karui, and Yamanaka Ino please come down to the Arena!"

All six jumped down from the catwalk and stood around Naruto in a hexagonal pattern. Seeing the mentioned six ready, Naruto spoke out the specific rules of the match as they appeared on the large screen.

"Close to mid range! Kawarimi forbidden. 3 vs 3 team match. The teams shall be... Uzumaki Karin, Yamanaka Ino, and Higurashi Tenten on one side and Kazekage Temari, Karui, and Tsuchi Kin."

The six shared looks before quickly moving to opposite sides of the arena with their temporary teammates. When the two teams were ready, Naruto called out, "THREE... TWO... ONE... HAJIME!"

As soon as Naruto jumped back onto the catwalk, the two teams jumped back and started to whisper amongst themselves.

* * *

"This is going to be good. Haven't seen a good cat fight in a long time, especially a kunoichi one." Roshi said with a grin causing Kakashi to chuckle and state, "I believe that the term should be a tigress fight. After all, what are some kunoichi other than tigresses?"

"I agree with you there Hatake, but are you sure the battle will be that ferocious?"

"The two Konoha and the one Uzu Kunoichi, I can personally attest to their ferociousness. The Kazekage is just as ferocious. Kumo are know for their ferocious Kunoichi as well. I believe that the only one who will disappoint us will be the Oto Kunoichi."

"Astute observations Hatake though I would put the Yamanaka and Karin-sama to be the most vicious, especially with their short fuses." Zabuza added with a grin.

Roshi rubbed his beard before nodding his head in agreement. "Yes, I believe that Eiba is right in this case. The Uzumaki women were known for their tempers and the Yamanaka has made a bit of name for herself as being especially vicious to those who anger her."

* * *

"I don't know you two and neither do you know me but we need to work together to get ahead so let me tell you a bit about my skills." Temari started getting nods from her two temporary teammates. "As you may have guessed, I am a Tessenjutsu practitioner. I specialize in mid to long range combat using fūton ninjutsu. In close range, I can keep up for a short time. My greatest strength is in wide area jutsu."

Karui and Kin nodded before Kin said, "I specialize in sound based genjutsu and mid range combat."

"Damn, then it is up to me to handle close quarters. I specialize in kenjutsu and raiton chakra flow techniques along with ninjutsu. Close to mid range is my comfort zone."

"Alright, the Kin, you stay behind me and use your genjutsu to distract our opponents. I will keep them from ganging up on you Karui. I hope you have the stamina to keep up."

"Don't worry about me. I have more than enough stamina, but I am a bit cautious of Uzumaki. I had the pleasure to see her training under Naruto-sama. She is proficient in all ranges, though her speciality is in close range combat and battle fūinjutsu."

Temari and Kin nodded in agreement when they heards Ino calling out to them. "If you have finished with the strategizing, do you thing we can begin? We have been more than generous to give you more than sufficient time to get comfortable!"

Temari, Kin and Karui narrowed their eyes in annoyance but decided not to answer. Nodding to themselves, the three Kunoichi jumped into action taking on the roles previously discussed.

Ino nodded to Karin and Tenten as she floated into the air. Tenten charged forward to meet Karui. Karin closed her eyes and focused before clapping her palms as a wave of chakra erupted from her body. The waves of chakra seemed to leave burning trails on the ground before as an oppressive presence started filling the arena.

Temari launched a massive wave of slicing winds at Karin hoping to prevent the Uzumaki Heiress from completing whatever jutsu she was attempting only for Ino to intercept and redirect it towards the senbon Kin threw.

Temari frowned as she realized that her fūton ninjutsu was completely useless as long as Ino was in play, but she didn't have anyway to defeat the Yamanaka Heiress at the moment.

At the same time, Kin tried to cast a wide area genjutsu only for it to suddenly fail. After retrying a couple of times, she realized that the fluctuating chakra waves from the seal was messing with her genjutsu.

While Temari and Kin were dealing with their skills being nullified, Karui was suffering her own problems. Tenten was equipped with metal armor made of metal scales. On her waist were two large reels of fine metal wire. Finally, there was the fine iron sand emerging from a seal on Tenten's back and floating around the girl ready to do her bidding.

No matter what Karui tried, Tenten countered. Raiton chakra flow on her katana blade, Tenten redirects the electricity into the ground using the iron sand. Charge in with a over head slash, Tenten counters with two whips of the thin wire, scoring deep gouges in the earth. To Karui, the whole situation looked hopeless. The few strikes that do get through were easily being stopped by the armor the bun haired girl was wearing.

Sighing, Karui jumped back as she threw down a flash bomb. Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Karui regrouped with Temari and Kin. Even as invested in her own battle, she wad able to notice the plight of her temporary teammates.

"What do we do? None of out tricks are working. Changing opponents aren't going to be feasible either. I know that Raikage-sama told me that Ninshu was formidable, but I didn't think it was this dangerously to face." Karui said with a sigh as she cautiously watched Ino and Tenten regrouping with Karin.

"I know what you mean. At this rate, we will only have two options... Give up with dignity or lose without dignity."

"I think we should try one more time before giving up." Kin urged with a nervous tone.

Temari and Karui nodded and turned their full attention to the opposing team only to see a finished seal on the ground. The seal was growing with an eldritch red glow striking fear into the trio's hearts. What ever the seal was, it was bad news.

* * *

"This takes me back. I remember Mito-sama using this same seal in a spar against Tobirama-sensei. Though she generated the seal within moments. Karin-chan is very skilled indeed." Hiruzen muzed drawing Mei and Ōnoki's attention.

"What does this seal do Hiruzen?"

"It has quite a subtle effect. It may seem that the seal consequences of activating the seal is high, but it is anything but. You see, the seal, I don't know the name, is designed to subtly influence anyone the user considers an enemy through psychological manipulation. You can say that it is a specialized genjutsu seal designed to psychologically influence the enemies morale. We will be seeing a quick surrender now from the Suna-Kumo-Oto team."

Ōnoki frowned at the implications while Mei looked stunned before speaking. "It is a Hiden Jutsu, isn't it?"

"I believe so and a high ranked one as well. Luckily it has a great weakness. If the target or in this case the targets are aware of the true power of the seal, the effectiveness is cut to a quarter."

* * *

"They are shuddering. I think it is time we launch our final offensive." Ino stated with a giddy expression. An expression that is more common on the face of Mitarashi Anko.

Karin and Tenten nodded as both girls punched forward releasing blistering waves of yellow flames. Ino's face took on a more bloodthirsty grin as she released a wave of wind into the fire fanning them into a blazing inferno.

Temari, Karui and Kin watched as the raging inferno rushed towards them and with kawarimi forbidden, it was their death. Seeing no reason to keep fighting, all three gave up.

* * *

"Why did they give up? The fire wave wasn't that large, was it?" Kiba asked with confusion.

"I don't think so Kiba, but maybe Ino had them trapped in a genjutsu and they didn't realize it. She has done it before. Her genjutsu are particularly vicious especially since she seems to have started to hangout with Anko-san." Shikamaru said though he was uncertain. He just couldn't ignore the glowing seal. Did it have something to do with the forfeiture as well?

* * *

"Winner by forfeit; Uzumaki Karin, Yamanaka Ino and Higurashi Tenten! Now please vacate the arena." Naruto said as he appeared in front of Temari and with a wave of his hand, conjured up an opaque wall of winds that easily countered the wave of flames.

The six Genin quickly rushed up to the catwalk with the three defeated ones hanging their heads in shame. After dispelling the seal, Naruto looked up and started announcing the next match up.

"Will Uchiha Sasuke, Yakushi Kabuto, Nii Samui and Akatsuchi please come down to the arena. The next match will be a close to mid range, no Kawarimi, 2 vs 2 team matchup with teams consisting of Nii Samui and Uchiha Sasuke on one side and Yakushi Kabuto and Akatsuchi on the other side!"

* * *

"This will be a unique match. A Konoha Shinobi and a foreigner team. I hope they can work together." Kurenai commented as she stared at the four ninja.

"I don't think you will have to worry about Sasuke and Samui, Kurenai-sensei. It is Yakushi-san and Akatsuchi we have to worry about." Hinata said with a smile though Kurenai picked up on the small stress the Hyūga Heiress made when uttering Yakushi-san. Narrowing her eyes, the Genjutsu Mistress nodded in agreement as Naruto began the match.

Kurenai was impressed with all four ninja. Sasuke was particularly impressive with the combination of his Sharingan Genjutsu and fire bending. That didn't mean that the rest were any less impressive. Samui's mastery of kenjutsu perfectly complimented Sasuke's ranged skills. Akatsuchi's dōton ninjutsu was equally impressive for a Genin, especially with the application of advanced defensive techniques and skillful application of simple supplimentary jutsu to disrupt his opponents teamwork or helping his teammate out of a bind. It was clear that he was a ranged fighter. Kabuto, even holding back as she knew, was just as impressive. Good speed, great precision and most of all a cool head for tactics combined with the ability to heal himself mid battle. It was such a sad thing that he was a traitor. Still, it was an impressive battle to behold.

* * *

The battle lasted for nearly fifteen minutes before Kabuto just gave up stating chakra exhaustion. Akatsuchi was visibly displeased but decided that it was the best course of action. Over the course of the battle, Sasuke and Samui had been mostly on the offensive forcing him and Kabuto onbthe defensive. The small victories he or Kabuto could force their way were easily balanced by powerful, precise ot downright sneaky techniques his opponents were using.

Those sealless fire ninjutsu from Sasuke were truly difficult to both anticipate and counter. Samui's kenjutsu augmented with a subtle raiton chakra flow easily countered his small arsenal of dōton ninjutsu. Though he wasn't injured, the same couldn't be said about his pride. Tsuchikage-sama was right to have cautioned him about... ninshu, he believed it was called.

Looking towards his temporary teammate Akatsuchi was visibly disappointed. Kabuto was a good partner but he was an Iryōnin. Granted a very good one, but still just an Iryōnin who was not really able to damage their opponents with his taijutsu or even give him enough openings to really damage their opponents. In the end, he believed that it was just bad luck that he had such a bad match up. Looking towards Sasuke and Samui, he could see the underlying attraction and if the reports were true, both were probably going to end up in a political marriage in the future. It was clear that the Konoha Shinobi and the Kumo Kunoichi appreciated each others company.

"Winner by forfeit, Uchiha Sasuke and Nii Samui. Now, please vacate the arena so that the next battle may commence!"

Samui and Sasuke shared a smirk as they quietly walked up to the catwalk. From the corner of her eyes, Samui saw Sasuke watching her with subtle looks.

"Will Hyūga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba please come down to the arena? The next battle will be a standard match with no Kawarimi!" Naruto declared as Neji and Kiba stood facing each other. "HAJIME!"

Kiba didn't waste any time as he and Akamaru jumped towards Neji and started twisting in a drill like motivation calling out, "Gatsuga!"

Neji didn't even blink as he easily dodged the attack only to be suddenly blown back by a wave of ripping winds.

* * *

"That's new. He used air bending to extend the reach of the swirling winds, right Sensei?"

"That's right Choji. A beautiful use of wind if I have ever seen one. I doubt Neji will be able to win." Asuma said with an impressed expression.

"You are thinking too small, Asuma-san. The battle is just getting starting." Sakura said with a secretive smile.

"What do you mean Sakura?" Asuma asked as he watched Kiba and Akamaru keep pushing Neji back towards the wall.

They keep vigil as Neji kept trying to get out of the defensive play only to be stopped at every step. Kiba had become good and very fast but Neji was just that little bit better as he kept dodging the attacks from both Kiba and Akamaru along with the blasts of wind Kiba would occasionally release to trip him up. It took five minutes until Asuma saw what Sakura meant. Neji was touching the rock wall with his back as Kiba and Akamaru had launched themselves forward in the fastest Gatsuga he had ever seen when Neji smirked.

Before any of the Genin realized what happened, Neji spurn on his heels and vanished into the ground with an shocking ease using his rudimentary mastery of Earth Bending causing Kiba and Akamaru to crash into solid rock.

Neji reappeared behind then and stomped on the ground and made a few stiff motions with his arms causing the Inuzuka and his ninken to be caught in between a vice like pair of rock pillars.

"I advise you to forfeit, least I accidentally crush you two. I am not as well versed in Earth Bending as you are with Air Bending afterall." Neji said with a mono tone voice

Kiba and Akamaru squirmed for a bit before they felt the pillars slowly increasing the pressure causing both to stiffen before Kiba sighed and called out, "I forfeit!"

"Winner by forfeit, Hyūga Neji!" Naruto declared appearing beside the rock pillars. Clenching his right fist, Naruto punched the pillar and pulled back causing the pillars go reduce to dust, freeing the Inuzuka and his ninken.

* * *

"That was an interesting battle. Didn't expect a Hyūga to use anything other than the Jūken. The Inuzuka was good as well, but a bit reckless if you ask me." Ōnoki stated with an impressed expression.

Hiruzen chuckled as he nodded in agreement while Mei just frowned for a moment before commenting, "I remember that the Hyūga came with Naruto-sama to Kiri. I believe that he didn't show any skills outside of his Jūken and that was only a couple of months ago. Did he really learn Earth Ninshu to such a high degree so fast?"

Hiruzen frowned before stating, "Neji is considered a prodigy, so it isn't surprising that he is picking up ninshu quite fast, but we must also consider Naruto-kun's teaching ability. Without Naruto-kun's tutelage, I doubt that he would have reached so far."

Mei nodded in understanding as Ōnoki just sat there in a contemplative mood

* * *

"Will Makkeshō Suiren, Kazekage Kankuro, Hyūga Hinata, Akadō Yoroi, Sarutobi Konohamaru and Akimichi Choji please make their way to the arena." After the six mention Genin were in the arena, Naruto continued, "This will be a standard, 3 vs 3 Team battle with teams consisting of Makkeshō Suiren, Hyūga Hinata and Sarutobi Konohamaru on one side and Akadō Yoroi, Kazekage Kankuro and Akimichi Choji on the other side. HAJIME!"

Suiren, Hinata and Konohamaru didn't waste any time in attacking their opponents. Suiren stamped her foot on the ground causing a wave of crystal spikes to erupt from the ground scattering her opponents. Hinata just activated her Byakugan and focused her will on the water vapor in the air causing blobs of water to coalesce over her head and float around lazily. Konohamaru let his two female teammates handle the ranged combat as he rushed towards the distracted Yoroi with a dark glare.

* * *

"Oh no!" Kakashi muttered underneath his breath noticing the dark glare Konohamaru was directing towards Yoroi. Not that he could blame the young Sarutobi. Konohamaru seems to have developed an intense dislike for traitors after hearing the stories of Itachi from Sasuke. He just hoped that Konohamaru didn't kill the traitor.

Kakashi observed the match with great concentration, having even revealed his Sharingan. Even though Konohamaru, Suiren and Hinata didn't ever work together before, it seems that training underneath Naruto has taught them to be very adaptive. A good quality to have as a Chunin. Turning his head, Kakashi saw Kankuro keep dodging the waves of crystal spikes that Suiren kept sending his way, always trying to reveal the bandage wrapped package on his back. If he wasn't mistaken, then Kankuro was a Kugutsu practitioner and probably a good one as well. It is best that they don't allow him time to access his tools. Poison would easily change the pace of the battle.

A sudden sound drew Kakashi's attention. Slightly turning his head, Kakashi was shocked to see Choji had launched a massive boulder at Hinata. Luckily for Hinata, the blob of water floating above her head had sent out tentacles to intercept it. The water had partially transformed into ice, as spikes of ice had ripped into the boulder. With a simple gesture of her arms, Hinata redirected the boulder towards a distracted Kankuro.

Suiren saw that the boulder would miss Kankuro, so to move him into position, Suiren smirked and stomped her feet causing the crystal spikes all around the field to suddenly shattered with a deafening crack, as sparkling dust filled the area of the arena Kankuro occupied. A loud curse was heard as Kankuro jumped out of the dust only to be hit by the redirected boulder.

The loud scream of pain from Kankuro and the sound of shattering crystal and wood distracted Yoroi for just a moment allowing Konohamaru to strike his chest with a simple palm strike. Unfortunately, Konohamaru decided to release a concentrated wave of blistering yellow flames. Yoroi screamed in pain as he was launched back due to the resulting explosion. Before Yoroi was even able to fight through the pain, Kakashi saw Konohamaru focus near Yoroi's head. Suddenly, an explosion blossomed at the point throwing the traitor away and knocking him unconscious.

Kakashi turned his head to see Choji was sweating in fear, but had a confident expression. Slamming his hands onto the ground, a massive wave of rock spikes erupted all around him, rushing towards his three opponents. Suiren and Konohamaru just smirked and proceeded to destroy the spikes with well-timed punches, using their Earth Bending to easily counter. Hinata on the other hand took a completely surprising direction in her defense. As she was a Water Bender, she pulled all the water around her into a massive spinning dome of raging water, bearing resemblance to the Hakkeshō Kaiten. Everyone watched with shock as the raging torrents easily tore the spike of rock to dust, which kept swirling around with the waters staining the crystal blue waters a muddy brown.

As the wave of spikes dissipated, Choji jumped back to avoid the explosion that Konohamaru caused with his Combustion Bending, only to roll to the right as a wave of ice spikes shattered on the rock walls of the arena. Getting back onto his feet, Kakashi saw Choji lookup with a startled expression before twisting on his heels and drilling into the ground. Kakashi was at first confused at Choji's sudden alarm but understood when he caught the slight sparkles in the air.

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask at the battle. He could see that Choji realized that it was a hopeless situation. Both of his teammates were down, but also realized that he had to at least try his best, just like his opponents were trying their best. Kakashi turned his head and focused his attention on Choji's opponents and saw that Hinata had covered her arms in water and was rushing forward to strike at Choji, who had just popped out of the ground. From Hinata's right, at an angle of thirty degrees, Suiren was charging with her whole body glittering from the crystal dust armor she had covered herself with. From Hinata's left, at nearly the same angle, Konohamaru was charging while moving his arms in a repetitive circular motion as sparks of lightning erupted from his outstretched index and middle fingers.

"I wonder if Choji will realize that it is better to give up?" Kakashi commented drawing a worried Asuma and Shikamaru's attentions along with a carefree Ino's.

"I am sure that he can go on a little longer!" Ino commented with a careless tone though the worry was clear in her eyes.

"I have known Choji for a long time and I can assure you that he will give up if all else fails. After all, it is too troublesome to be needlessly injured for just a stupid exam." Shikamaru said just as Choji screamed out his forfeiture. "See, what did I tell you!"

"Winner by both Knock Out and Forfeit; Makkeshō Suiren, Hyūga Hinata and Sarutobi Konohamaru! MEDIC!" Naruto exclaimed as the four conscious participants made their way up to the catwalk while two teams of Iryōnin had rushed towards the unconscious Kankuro and Yoroi.

As they waited for the Medics to clear the arena with their patients, Gaara approached Suiren and Konohamaru with a blank expression on his face. With a bland tone, he said, "Both of you are very skilled. I wouldn't mind proving my existence against either of you!"

Temari and Baki, who were close by, shivered at the sudden bloodlust Gaara was letting off, though it seemed that both of his targets weren't bothered in the slightest. In fact, Konohamaru seemed to be projecting his own killing intent at Gaara. Suiren didn't even blink as the crystal dust floating around seemed to vibrate causing a gentle scraping sound of the sand viper to emerge from around her.

"I am sure that Konohamaru would love to take you up on the offer right here, but I do not wish to jeopardize my candidacy in the exams. Naruto-sama would be extremely displeased with such a case. Why don't we make a pact to either face off against each other in the finals or if we don't get the chance, why not spar after the exams are over? I am sure that neither Naruto-sama nor Hokage-sama would mind."

Gaara nodded in agreement before walking away with a satisfied smile on his face. He didn't miss Baki and Temari tense up when he stated that he wouldn't mind proving his existence. He could now understand the subtle pleasure in pranking. No wonder Naruto used to pull pranks as a child. This was the most fun he has had in his life, and who would have thought that Shukaku had a sense of humor? He certainly didn't.

"Alright… Now that the arena is clear, will Nara Shikamaru, Dosu of Oto, Omoi of Kumo and Yuki Haku of Uzu please come down to the arena! This match will be an all range; 2 vs 2 Team match up with no Kawarimi. The teams will be Nara Shikamaru and Yuki Haku vs Omoi and Dosu." Naruto called out as the four named Genin jumped down to the arena from the catwalk, though in Shikamaru's case, he looked quite bored.

* * *

"HAJIME!"

Shikamaru and Haku shared a look and nodded to each other before both jumped back as they threw a wave of shuriken at their opponents. Omoi unsheathed his Katana and easily parried the throwing stars while Dosu raised his arms and used the metallic gauntlets to parry them.

Shikamaru and Haku didn't give them any time to react as both charged forward with Shikamaru bringing out a sealing scroll. Throwing the scroll down, Shikamaru released a pulse of chakra as he placed his foot on the sealing array while running. A burst of smoke erupted from the scroll before the whole floor of the arena was filled with a foot of water, surprising the other three Genin.

Haku quickly recovered her composure as she used her limited water bending skills to surf on the water with Shikamaru beside her. Dosu and Omoi had barely gotten their bearings when whips of water struck them on the chest, throwing them into the wall. Before either could react, both were trapped by waves of water which flash froze into ice. Omoi and Dosu tried to wiggle free only to have a kunai held at their throats eliciting small stings.

"This match is over! Winner, Nara Shikamaru and Yuki Haku. Will all winners please come back to the arena and stand in a line!" Naruto called out as he used his mastery over water bending release the defeated duo and evaporate the foot-deep water in one move.

* * *

"I didn't expect the battle to be over so soon. Then again, Haku is very adaptable in battle while the Nara can think over a hundred steps ahead of his opponent, so it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise." Zabuza commented with a grin, though hidden behind his bandages.

Asuma, Kakashi and Gai nodded in agreement as the watched the fifteen winners jump down to the arena and stand in a line as Naruto had instructed. Beside him, Anko appeared with a box held in her arms and called out, "Step up and draw a slip then stand back in line Gaki's!"

Everyone followed Anko's command and quickly stepped forward, took a slip of paper from the box and stepped back into line. After the fifteen Chunin hopefuls had taken their slips, Naruto called out, "Now call out your names and number, starting from the extreme left!"

"Higurashi Tenten, Number #9!"

"Uzumaki Karin, Number #5!"

"Kazekage Gaara, Number #12!"

"Nii Samui, Number #2!"

"Uchiha Sasuke, Number #15!"

"Yūki Haku, Number #6!"

"Hyūga Hinata, Number #7!"

"Kamizuri Kurotsuchi, Number #11!"

"Nara Shikamaru, Number #13!"

"Yamanaka Ino, Number #1!"

"Sarutobi Konohamaru, Number #4!"

"Aburame Shino, Number #10!"

"Rock Lee, Number #14!"

"Makkeshō Suiren, Number #3!"

"Hyūga Neji, Number #8!"

Naruto and Anko nodded as the latter wrote down the names before handing the clipboard to Naruto. Looking over the information, Naruto nodded to himself before stating, "Now if you will remember, the Finals will be an Elimination Tournament spread out over three days. The first day will focus on seven one-on-one matches with one competitor getting a bye to the next round that will occur the next day. The second day will be four matches, the quarter-finals as you all know. We have decided to forego the semi-finals. Instead, the finals, that will be taking place on the third day, will be a Battle Royale between the winners of the four battles held on the second day. There will be no restrictions in how you battle. Do you understand!"

A chorus of 'Sir, yes sir!' came back eliciting a chuckle from the three Kage. Naruto nodded before saying, "Then I shall give you the match ups for the third exams!"

* * *

 _DAY 1  
Match 1 Ino vs Lee  
Match 2 Samui vs Shikamaru  
Match 3 Suiren vs Gaara  
Match 4 Konohamaru vs Kurotsuchi  
Match 5 Karin vs Shino  
Match 6 Haku vs Tenten  
Match 7 Hinata vs Neji  
Bye Sasuke_

 _DAY 2  
Match 8 Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 3  
Match 9 Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 4  
Match 10 Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 7  
Match 11 Winner of Match 6 vs Bye_

 _DAY 3  
Match 12 Battle Royale between surviving Genin_

* * *

"The finals will take place exactly one month from now. I know many of you are wondering why the month long wait, so let me clear out the confusion. The finals will be watched by many foreign dignitaries. This one month is for them to reach Konoha, or where ever the Chunin Exams is being held. Know this, most of the dignitaries will be representatives of Daimyō. The better show you put on in the finals, the higher the chance is your village will be sent more missions. Now a word of advice – don't waste this month on only preparing for your next opponent. Anticipate all possible opponents and make appropriate preparations. I can guarantee that it will help. Now dismissed!"

* * *

The next morning, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino, Karin, Suiren, Haku, Tenten, Lee, Neji, Sasuke and Konohamaru were standing in Training Ground 3 with Zabuza, Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi and Gai, waiting for Naruto. They didn't have to wait long as Naruto appeared in the middle of the Training Ground with Sakura and Tsunade.

"Good, all of you are here. To the Genin, you all will be trained by all of us throughout the month, though through the use of Kage Bunshin so as to keep the knowledge of individual training out of your possible opponent's reach. Other than that, general training will occur together. Now to everyone, Orochimaru and Oto plan to invade Konoha sometime during the Chunin Exams Finals. The joint training will be to bring you up to my standards. During the training, you lot will be taught Jōnin level tactics along with physical and mental conditioning. Now all Genin, dismissed! Meet up here tomorrow at Dawn!"

The Genin nodded before dispersing leaving behind the Jōnin. After a couple of minutes of silence, Gai asked, "What orders do you have for us, Naruto-sama?"

"Simple Gai. You five will be moving about the Stadium, helping out as much as you can. I have assigned Anko, Iruka and Dōmon to handle the defense of the evacuation shelter with Genin under their command. Jiraiya will be moving about helping as much as he can along with Sakura." Sakura nodded in agreement, showing that she was on board with Naruto's plans. "Finally, Tsunade will be handling the defense of the Hospital. Any questions?"

Everyone shared a look before shaking their heads causing Naruto to nod in satisfaction. "I shall lead the offensive against Orochimaru with the Kage. I have confirmation that Nii Yugito and Kazekage Gaara along with Fū shall be leading the defense of the VIPs, so you won't need to focus on them. Just keep the civilians safe. The Hachibi Jinchūriki, Kirabi; the Rokubi Jinchūriki, Utakata; the Yonbi Jinchūriki, Roshi; and the Gobi Jinchūriki, Han will be on the front lines helping out anyway they can under the orders from their Kage. There are reports that dissatisfied elements in all villages may have joined up with Orochimaru and will be threats. Eliminate them with extreme prejudice. Now dismissed!"

The five Jōnin didn't waste time as they disappeared in puffs of smoke, or in the case of Zabuza and Kakashi, mist and sparks respectively. After they were gone, Tsunade placed a palm on Naruto's shoulder and said with a smile, "You did quite well Naruto. I don't know why you were so nervous. Besides, you better get used to it. After all, you take over as the Hokage next month!"

"I agree with Tsunade. You need to relax Naruto. How about we have breakfast at Ichiraku's, my treat!" Sakura said with a smile causing Naruto's serious face to morph into a gleaming grin.

"Whatever you say Sakura-chan! I am not about to turn down free ramen!"

Sakura shook her head with fond exasperation as she said, "You must be the only Daimyō in existence who would prefer to eat Ramen over all the expensive foods in the world."

"It is an Uzumaki thing, Sakura. I had seen my grandmother put away more bowls of the stuff than I can drink sake!" Tsunade mused as the three headed out of the Training Ground at a leisurely pace.

* * *

"So, have you made a decision?" Naruto said walking into the cells carved into the bedrock underneath the Uzumaki Estate. In a cell was Kaguya Kimimaro and Jūgo.

Jūgo and Kimimaro looked way better than expected of two prisoners, but that was because they really weren't ones. Jūgo preferred to be caged until he had proper control of his Kekkai Genkai. Kimimaro was here to visit his friend.

Kimimaro looked up and stated, "I agree to join Uzu, Naruto-sama. And I thank you for having me treated for my disease. I have decided to join the Eiba Clan underneath Zabuza-sama!"

"And I have decided to be an Uzu Shinobi but without any affiliation with any clan! May I ask when we shall start training to master my Kekkai Genkai?" Jūgo asked with a soft tone.

"Immediately, please follow me to the secluded grove at the back of the estate. That is where the natural energy is at its purest in Konoha and a good place to meditate. I hope you don't mind sitting in the same place of hours at a time but meditation is the only way to safely connect with nature and natural energy." Naruto said as they walked out of the cells and towards the back end of the estate. "After you have mastered meditation, the next step will be learning to safely draw in natural energy and mix it with your chakra to produce Senjutsu Chakra. That is the most difficult step as mistakes tend to cause petrification."

"Fascinating, but if mistakes in learning Senjutsu leads to petrification, why even try it?" Kimimaro asked with interest.

Naruto nodded as he said, "I can understand your belief Kimimaro. The answer is quite complex. Simply, it allows the user to become one with nature. The clairvoyance one gains from such a union is quite gratifying, both spiritually and physically. In the case of Jūgo, the fear of petrification is replaced by the drawing out of the chaos that hides within us. The base instincts that have been suppressed to a degree with the advent of sentience."

"So, I just need to get a better mastery of my baser instincts and everything should be fine?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Not exactly, but close. Natural Energy tends to strengthen the bond of the user with nature. In return, it exponentially strengthens the user, and I am not talking only physically. Spiritually, the clairvoyance is the strength that leads to powerful sensory abilities. Mentally, now that is a bit difficult to explain. While it strengthens the mental processes, it also draws out the baser instincts. The instincts we suppress. The worst qualities of our existence. For me, it is my arrogance. For you, I believe that it is your suppressed rage and anger."

Jūgo and Kimimaro nodded in agreement before Kimimaro bid his farewell and left to meet up with Zabuza. Jūgo and Naruto kept walking at a leisurely pace until they reached the clearing, only to find Sakura and Fū meditating. Sharing a look, Naruto motioned for Jūgo to copy what he did and both sat down to meditate.

It would be over three hours before Jūgo would finally awake from his trance, though his body had run wild due to the unfettered access the Natural energy had to his system. Luckily, Naruto and Sakura were easily able to prevent any damage from occurring while Fū kept meditating, but still keeping attention to the commotion near her.

* * *

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Sandaime Tsuchikage = Third Earth Shadow_**

 ** _Kekkai Genkai = Blood Line Limit_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Shikotsumyaku = Dead Bone Pulse_**

 ** _Kōton = Steel Release_**

 ** _Yōton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu = Lava Release: Congealing Quick Lime Technique_**

 ** _Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu = Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique_**

 ** _Kawarimi = Substitution_**

 ** _Gatsuga = Fang over Fang_**

 ** _Jūken = Gentle Fist_**

 ** _Kugutsu = Puppet Jutsu_**

 ** _Hakkeshō Kaiten = Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation_**

 ** _Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clones_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. Do not fear, Orochimaru will make an escape. Merry Christmas everyone!**_

 _ **SSG.**_


	27. Chapter 26 - Chunin Exams Final Day I

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

" _Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 26 –** **Chunin Exams Final Day I**

Fifteen Genin were standing in the middle of the Arena as it slowly began filling up with people. The VIP box was already filled with, interestingly, more Daimyō in attendance than in living memory — not that it was shocking, as the Chunin Exams were a relatively new institution, being instituted at the end of the Second Shinobi World War, which ended about thirty years ago.

In the Kage Box, The Sandiame Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat with The Sandiame Tsuchikage, Ōnoki; The Godaime Mizukage, Terumi Mei; The Yondaime Raikage, Ē and the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa. The presence of all Gokage was a bit nerve wracking to many of the spectators and some of the participants. The absence of Uzumaki Naruto also drew much speculation. He was afterall the proctor, and time was nearing the start of the Exams.

At five minutes to noon, a massive plume of smoke appeared in the middle of the stadium. When the smoke cleared, a large green toad was seen standing there with Naruto sitting on it's head. Standing up, Naruto said, "Sorry for being nearly late, but I had a last minute meeting with the Toad Boss. Anyway, welcome to the finals of the Chunin Exams. This year, it will be a three day affair with an exhibition match between the Legendary A-B combo from Kumo and myself on the third day right before the finals. Everyone, please enjoy the exams. Now it is time for the first match between Yamanaka Ino and Rock Lee. Will everyone except the two mentioned please leave the arena?"

Within moments, Naruto had jumped down from the toad as it disappeared in another burst of smoke. When the smoke cleared, only Ino and Lee were left in the arena. The other participants found themselves in the participants waiting box.

"This will be a no-holds-barred match with killing forbidden. The match will be declared over if one or both participants are unable to continue or I say so. BEGIN!"

Ino — knowing that Lee had the advantage against her in Taijutsu — didn't waste any time. Focusing her not so menial mental faculties, she released a destructive wave of telekinetic energy at Lee as she took the air, to the astonishment of both Ninja and Civilian alike.

Lee frowned as he was thrown back from the powerful attack but with a subtle application of air bending, was easily able to deaden the blow and land back on his feet without much disorientation. Using the cloud of dust as cover, Lee conjured a ball of compressed wind and threw it at the floating Ino.

Ino didn't even blink as she caught the spinning orb of wind between the palm of her hands and crushed the technique with ease. Bending the released winds to her will, Ino launched a stream of fast flowing winds into the dust cloud, dissipating it and revealing Lee sitting on a ball of swirling winds.

Manipulating the ball of winds below him, Lee easily evaded the stream of wind before causing the ball to explode upwards, throwing the Taijutsu expert at the surprised Ino. Lee grinned as he appeared in front of Ino and threw a punch only for Ino to easily dodge by floating to the side and retaliating with a fist engulfed in swirling winds. Lee's eyes widened in surprise as he raised is arms in front of his face just as Ino's fist struck him. An explosion of winds threw the green clad Genin back from the Yamanaka Heiress, a little worse for wear.

As Lee flew away towards the Arena walls, he manipulated the winds to correct his posture and cushion him, allowing him to softly crash into the wall and rebound with a burst of wind, catching Ino by surprise.

* * *

The spectators watched in shock, awe and excitement as the two Air Benders battled it out. It was truly a sight. The high-speed battle in the air between a girl, who could float, and a boy, who could command the very winds to level the playing field, was truly impossible to describe with words.

Each clash left the spectators gripping the edge of their seats as the two Genin battled it out to prove their dominance and worth of being a Chunin. If one didn't know that the two young Genin were bending the air in various ways, one would say that the very gods were supporting them.

With each clash, more and more stormy winds were bring created and blowing around the arena, throwing up dust clouds, seemingly determined to throw the whole arena into a massive dust storm.

"Wow! I didn't know that Lee was that flexible." Kiba commented with Choji nodding in agreement.

"My youthful friends, you haven't yet seen Lee's full capabilities!" Gai said causing confusion to the two Genin. Turning his attention to the arena, Gai shouted out, "LEE! TAKE THEM OFF. IT'S NO TIME TO HOLD BACK!"

Lee looked up with surprise before he crouched down and took off his leg weights. Ino narrowed her eyes — there was no way she didn't know what was happening. Lee would have been a difficult opponent even before ninshu training. Now, without his weights, and having mastered Air Bending, he would be a monster. She would have to be careful and plan out her next course of actions. Her eyes widened in shock when Lee suddenly appeared in front of her, floating just like herself. This will be much more difficult that she thought.

* * *

"I must say Hokage-dono; this is probably the best match between two Genin I have had the pleasure of witnessing. They were trained by Naruto-sama, weren't they?"

"That is right Kazekage-dono. Mizukage-dono has personally witnessed the power of Ninshu. I am sure that she will agree with me on the fact that this is only a warm-up. After all, I did receive a report from Naruto-kun that both Yamanaka Ino and Rock Lee has achieved appreciable mastery to be called masters in the basic arts." Hiruzen said with a smile.

"While I agree that the match will only get more intense, I doubt that either are using only basic skills. After all, I doubt flight is a basic skill, because Naruto-sama told me that it takes quite the understanding of both oneself and the element of air to learn levitation." Mei commented getting a nod from Hiruzen.

"Oh! She is going to be feeling that, no matter how much air she used to cushion the impact." Ē commented as Ino crashed into the ground with an audible thump.

As everyone stared at the cloud of dust in anticipation, a fierce cry rang out followed by the dust cloud being literally ripped apart and dissipated as a wave of psionic energy erupted from the young beauty.

* * *

Ino had her head bowed with her long blonde hair flying about around her head in a non-existent wind, completely free of the violet hair tie that Ino used to tie it up in her customary high ponytail. Taking a deep breath, Ino slowly looked up and with another scream of defiance, she ripped up chunks of earth as she started flying towards Lee, the chunks of earth rotating around her as if they were the moon and she was the planet.

Lee gulped in fear at the show of power and focused his mind as he quickly started releasing a few of the gates.

The shouts of "Kaimon: Kai", "Kyūmon: Kai" and "Seimon: Kai" were heard as Lee's skin turned a deep red, his muscles bulged and a green aura formed around him. Just as Ino and her fake moons reached the green clad Genin, Lee burst into motion.

With the grace of a swan and the speed of a swift, Lee weaved through the floating pieces of rock and struck out at Ino with swift and strong punches. With barely a strain, Ino floated out of the way and bombarded Lee with the chunks of rock, causing the green clad Genin to use his mediocre skills in flight to dodge or strike down the rock chunks.

While Lee was distracted by the chunks of floating rock, Ino closed her eyes and focused her formidable mind on her next move. Lee destroyed the last chunk of rock and turned only to face against five copies of Ino. Lee frowned — he knew that Ino despised the Bunshin no Jutsu and didn't bother to learn any other more advanced version of it, so therefore this must be the infamous Fūjin Genjutsu that Ino has developed.

Shaking his head, Lee focused his senses on the air to see if he could find the real Ino. Afterall, illusions don't really affect the winds like a real person does. All five Ino's smirked at the sight and called out, "Don't bother with that Lee. These illusions are real! No matter what you try, I doubt you would realize which one is the real me."

"Yosh... But if I don't try, then it would be all the more unyouthful of me my youthful opponent!" Lee exclaimed before he suddenly rushing the five Ino's with an excited grin.

* * *

"What the hell are they feeding you guys?" Samui exclaimed in shock. The battle she and her fellow Chunin Exam candidates were witnessing was truly awe inspiring.

Konohamaru chuckled and cried out, "Shishō's training is as effective as it is hard!"

"Not to mention that the troublesome blonde knows how to motivate." Shikamaru commented lazily getting an eye twitch from Samui. She was really happy that Sasuke wasn't a lazy bum like the Nara Heir.

"Then there is the fact that we are ourselves motivated to surpass preconceived notions of our limits. If Naruto can reach such a level without much help, then we should be able to as well; don't you think so?" Sasuke commented with a smirk.

"Oh — that has got to hurt!" Suiren commented as another Ino suddenly appeared behind Lee and chopped his neck with a knife hand strike covered in writhing winds. Lee fell from the skies like a sack of potatoes. Right before he could crash, Naruto appeard and caught him. Laying the green clad Genin on the ground, Naruto stood up and declared, "Winner by Knock Out, Yamanaka Ino!"

The stadium erupted in cheers at the amazing match between the two Genin as Iryōnin rushed to carry the unconscious Genin away.

"There will be five minutes break while the arena is being repaired!" Naruto declared getting a sheepish smile from Ino.

* * *

"That was surprisingly fast." Kurenai commented getting a nod from Anko.

"Well, what do you expect. Both are masters of the wind. Hey Asuma, it seems that you are no longer the premier wind master in Konoha!"

"Laugh it up Anko, but ninshu shouldn't be compared with ninjutsu!" Asuma stated with annoyance.

"I will agree with that statement Sarutobi. Afterall, you were getting your ass handed to you by yours truly!" Zabuza stated getting a round of chuckles from the assembled Jonin. The Mission to Wave had become a legend to the Konoha ninja and a bar to compare yourself with.

"Will Nii Samui and Nara Shikamaru please come down to the Arena!"

"Ah — finally the match I have been waiting for!" Asuma commented with eagerness.

* * *

Samui was leaving the waiting area when Sasuke walked up to her and whispered, "Don't underestimate the lazy bum. He is far more dangerous that one would expect, especially with the training he received from Naruto." Samui looked surprised at the sudden warning but nodded in appreciation. She was a bit torn as Shikamaru was also a candidate for her political marriage, but with his lazy behavior and complete apathy, she decided that it was not worth it to select him. After the exams were over, she will be letting everyone know who she has chosen.

Shikamaru looked at the interaction with interest but shook his head clear of those thoughts. He needed to focus at the moment. Vaulting over the barrier, Shikamaru landed in a crouch and then walked towards the center. When both candidates were in position, Naruto asked if they were ready. Getting positive responses, Naruto jumped back as he declared the start of the match.

Samui didn't waste anytime and flung a handful of shuriken at Shikamaru. The Nara heir just pulled out a pair of kunai and started deflecting the throwing stars, all the while repositioning himself into a more favourable position. It was too bad that the arena was too large for his water storage scrolls to be useful. Luckily, his opponent didn't know of his family's Hiden Jutsu nor his other trump card.

Samui narrowed her eyes as Shikamaru kept moving towards the small copse of trees in the arena. She didn't know what he was planning but after seeing Hinata draw out water from plants over the last month, she wasn't about to bet that Shikamaru couldn't do the same, no matter how much Hinata reassured her that only herself, Sakura and Naruto could do that.

Taking a deep breath, Samui charged forward as she unsheathed her katana and engulfed the blade in raiton chakra. Shikamaru mentally cursed as he rushed towards the copse of trees when Samui fell upon him with a war cry.

* * *

"I hope the Nara has a plan, because letting Samui get so close to him is a grave mistake. Bee has trained her to be a monster in close quarters." Ē commented with a grin.

"Don't be so sure Ē-dono. Afterall, I doubt that one of Naruto-sama's students would be so weak." Mei commented with an eager expression. Turning to Hiruzen, she asked, "Don't you agree, Hokage-dono?"

Hiruzen chuckled but refrained from commenting as Shikamaru easily rolled out of the way of Samui's blade and retaliated but throwing forward his shadow in a simple Kagemane no Jutsu.

Samui saw the danger and caused the chakra flow on her blade to spark and release a flash of light allowing the girl the time to jump away from the reach of the technique only to curse as she realized that the Hiden Jutsu was just a feint. Shikamaru's true plan was completely different.

Hiruzen smiled and said, "It seems that young Samui has understood Shikamaru-kun's plan. It is all over now. If only Samui-chan was a long range fighter."

"Don't count her out yet Hokage-dono. I am sure that my neice will be able to pull through." Ē said only for Ōnoki to click his tongue, causing Ē to look at the aged Tsuchikage and ask, "Is something the matter Tsuchikage-dono?"

"The girl is done for. I remember how dangerous members of the Nara Clan are from the last war. What they lack in brawn, they make up in mind. Their strategies are spot on and rarely lead them to failure."

"I would agree with Tsuchikage-dono. The Nara are well know for their mental accume in battle." The Kazekage stated before ignoring the other Kage in favor of the match.

* * *

Samui rushed forward — pumping large amounts of chakra to her legs in the dwindling hopes of catching Shikamaru before he reached the copse of trees — when the girl suddenly stumbled. For a moment, it seemed that the very earth had tried to catch hold of her foot.

As she recovered from her stumble, she looked back to see a small pothole where she stumbled. Funny thing was that she didn't remember seeing one there when she charged forward. Shaking her head to rid her mind of her curiosity, she turned her full attention back to Shikamaru and saw that he ran into the copse of trees.

"Damnit!" Samui cursed to herself as she swung her raiton chakra covered blade in a wide arc. A thin blade of crackling lighting flew off in a flash of light and easily cleaved throw a few of the trees, alighting them aflame. Unfortunately for her, Shikamaru vaulted over the blade and retaliated before she could even blink.

Manipulating the water in the vines and other smaller plants, Shikamaru started a counter offensive against his opponent.

Samui could only look on in horror as she tried and failed to dodge the barrage of strikes from the plants.

* * *

"That is a novel way to use the water in the plants." Sakura commented drawing everyone's attention. The pink haired medic was sitting in the box for VIP guests with Otohime and Shion.

The representative from Kumo asked, "What do you mean, Haruno-san?"

Sakura was a bit surprised at how easily she was recognized, but shook it away to ponder later. Taking a deep breath, she explained, "Shikamaru is manipulating the water in the plants like I would manipulate the blood of my enemy. As a result, it would seem that Shikamaru is using a limited version of the Senju Hashirama-sama's mokuton. Let me be clear, if there are no plants in the vicinity of Shikamaru, he would be quite easily disarmed. Now why don't we focus on the match before it suddenly comes to an end."

The Kumo representative along with others who were focusing on the conversation nodded as they turned away and focused back on the match. In the short while they were distracted, Samui had made it quite close to the Nara Heir but was sporting quite a collection nasty gashes and bruises. A particular bad cut over her right eye was bleeding quite profusely and seemed to be obscuring her vision a bit.

* * *

A deep sigh of sadness drew everyone's attention to the large, dark skinned man witg sunglasses and a bandana over his head. The Hachibi Jinchūriki was quite depressed at the turn of events.

"Are you alright Bee-san?"

Bee shook his head and said, "Not to worry miss seven, Kirabi is still in heaven. He is just sad that Samui forgot all of Kirabi's warning, so her defeat is going be humbling."

Fū just nodded and again though why did it have to be her to escort her fellow Jinchūriki around Konoha. Yugito, Roshi and Utakata were alright but Han just gave her the wrong vibes and Kirabi was plain annoying with his rapping. She really pitied Gyuki for having to put up with him. A sudden shout of pain drew her attention. Looking at the arena floor, she saw that Samui's left leg was caught in a vice like grip between two pillars of thick rock.

* * *

"You can bend Earth as well?" Samui asked in shock as Shikamaru chuckled.

"That's right, though my mastery of earth is far less than water. Ninshu has opened up so many more strategies. Now forfeit, or I will be forced to knock you out!"

Samui struggled a bit but seeing that it was futile and that the pressure on her leg kept increase to unbearable levels, Samui sighed and called out her forfeiture.

Naruto appeared beside Samui and with a simple tap of his fingers, destroyed the stone pillars and released the defeated Kunoichi as he called out, "Winner by forfeit, Nara Shikamaru!"

The crowd cheered at the show of subtlety and strategy from the Nara Heir as both participants left the arena.

"As the arena is fine, will Kazekage Gaara and Makkeshō Suiren please come down to the arena!"

Both participants appeared in swirls of glittering dust. One, a yellowish silver and the other a bright azure-pink. As the glittering dust storms abated, both Chunin candidates were glaring at each other with bloodthirsty grins.

"Are both of you ready?" Getting nods of agreement, Naruto continued, "Then BEGIN!"

As soon as Naruto disappeared from the arena, the ground around Suiren erupted in towering pillars of sapphire blue crystal, protecting the girl from the wave of sand spears Gaara launched at her direction. The crystal pillars started to crack from the continuous barrage of heavy sand causing Suiren to growl and twist upon her heel and using a bit of basic earth bending, dived into the ground as her pillars finally fell apart in a loud shattering sound.

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he recalled his sand only to roll to his right as Suiren erupted beneath him with her whole body covered in glittering blue-white crystal. The time displaced Godaime Kazekage narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the crystal before mentally cursing. It would seem that his opponent was just like her leader. Only an Uzumaki or someone affiliated with them would be this difficult. Either way, he would have to find a way to bypass the glittering blue diamond crystal armor the girl had conjured, and keep out of her reach as well. Even his Shukaku no Tate could be useless against diamond — never having the chance to test it out before against diamond.

Gathering a platform of sand underneath himself, Gaara took to the skies to prevent his opponent from getting too close to him only to widen his eyes in shock as Suiren grinned and snapped her fingers. The previously created crystal pillars and small patches of crystallized earth shattered into a massive glittering cloud of dust. With a swipe of her arms, Suiren gathered the dust beneath her feet and lifted herself into the sky as well.

* * *

"What is it with this generation? How the hell are they all figuring out how to fly?" Ōnoki grumbled drawing everyone's attention to him. Seeing the smug look from Hiruzen, the aged Tsuchikage grumbled and turned back to the second battle that was about to commence in the sky.

* * *

"Did Suiren just figure out how to fly?" Kurenai asked in shock getting similarly dumbfounded expressions from her fellow Jōnin.

After a few moments of silence, Kakashi spoke up, "Gaara, I can understand. He has the Ichibi to help guide him, but Suiren must be a genius to be able to decipher and recreate the technique."

"Don't bother putting such lables on Uzu Ninja, Hatake. Besides, Suiren-dono trained under Naruto-sama from the get go, so it isn't surprising that she would be able to recreate a simple ninjutsu technique using ninshu. After all, she only knows ninshu along with a few basic ninjutsu." Dōmon said with a grin causing the assembled Konoha Ninja to nod in understanding. After all, those who started with ninshu over ninjutsu seems to be mastering the art faster.

"Quite! I want to see the battle between these two." Zabuza hissed in annoyance as Anko nodded in agreement with the Uzu Jōnin.

"That's right! I want to see the blood flow from those two." Everyone shook their heads at Anko's bloodthirsty smile and focused on the battle that was about to escalate.

* * *

Gaara and Suiren stared at each other with emotionless expressions, waiting for the other to move first. After what seemed like hours, both twitched as massive waves of crystal dust and sand crashed against each other. Tentacles of sand were countered by tentacles of glittering crystal dust. This continued for a few moments before the sand and crystal dust withdrew to hover behind their respective wielders.

"I must accept that you are good but can you keep up?" Gaara called out as a bloodthirsty grin appeared on his face.

Suiren grinned in return as she raised her hands and gestured with them. Gaara blinked in surprise as the crystal dust congealed into hundreds of small spikes and flew towards him. Not to be outdone, Gaara raised his arms and clasped his hands in the ram seal.

The sand flowed around him and collected into a statue of Shukaku with his arms outstretched to the sides. Suiren smirked as she brought her hands into the snake seal and pulsed her chakra.

* * *

"Damn! This isn't going to end well for Gaara." Karin commented getting a nod from Haku as both Uzu Kunoichi smirked.

"What do you mean by that?" Shikamaru asked with a frown.

Karin thought about the Nara Heir's question for a moment before shrugging and said, "Uzu has specialized in Fūinjutsu for a much longer time than we we have with Ninshu. It is only natural that most of us would use it in conjecture with our other techniques."

"That and the fact that Suiren specializes in heavy demolition and uses seals that complement that speciality." Haku commented getting a groan from Shikamaru as he understood what both Uzu Kunoichi meant.

* * *

Gaara narrowed his eyes as the crystal spikes started striking his shield. At first, it seemed to hold causing Gaara to smirk and state, "Keep trying all you like. None has been able to harm me yet! How can a newly minted Genin do something where Shinobi with years of experience has failed?"

Suiren growled before she shifted her hands into the dragon seal and pulsed her chakra once again. The crystal spikes erupted in an aura of glowing green-blue chakra. Within moments the statue of Shukaku started chipping as the spikes kept shattering on the statue before the shattered crystal flew back and reformed the spikes with the same green-blue aura. It took some time but by the time Gaara realized the danger, some of the spikes had punctured through the shield and crashed into him. His Suna no Yoroi absorbed most of the damage but unfortunately some of the spikes pierced his shoulders and right arm, drawing blood.

* * *

"Oh no! Gaara is bleeding." Temari said in a panic as Kankuro jumped up, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.

Kiba looked at the duo and asked with a sneer, "So what? We have all bled before. It's not something to worry about."

Temari was about to respond with a scathing remark when Baki beat her to it. "Gaara has never been injured before. This may unbalance his already fragile psyche to the point the Ichibi is released."

Normally Baki wouldn't have said such things but since Gaara's status as a Jinchūriki wasn't really a secret, he could get away with releasing this information.

Kiba nodded and simply commented, "Nothing to worry about then. After all, Naruto would take him down before Shukaku could even begin to rampage."

Baki was a bit unnerved at the nonchalant behavior of the Konoha Genin but shook it of as overconfidence. Besides, it wasn't a big secret that Uzumaki Naruto-sama had defeated multiple Jinchūriki without using his own Bijū.

* * *

Gaara felt the blood flow down his arms and torso causing him to grimace in pain. Suiren took this chance to taunt Gaara, "It seems that this newly minted Genin is superior to all of you for your previous opponents! Does it hurt?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he growled before drawing in all the sand to form a near impenetrable sphere. Within the sphere, red chakra bubbled over his skin as the injuries started to rapidly heal.

Suiren didn't know what Gaara had planned, so she charged forward and struck at the sand with a few palm strikes. To anyone else, it would have been a futile endeavor, but to Suiren — who had adequate mastery in bending sand to her will — each strike displaced massive amounts of sand. With the rapid strikes, Suiren quickly carved a deep furrow into the sand sphere and revealed the hidden Gaara.

Suiren punched was about to push forward when she felt something was wrong. Before she knew it, the sand around Gaara had flown around and encompassed her completely, leaving only her head free.

Suiren smirked and said, "This can't hold me. I can easily bend the sand to my will!"

"We shall see." Gaara simply stated as the red chakra cloak bubbled over his form. Gaara moved his floating sand platform to the restrained Suiren and touched it as blue lines appeared on the chakra cloak. The blue lines spread down his arms until the whole of the sand holding Suiren was covered in an intricate blue sealing pattern. When it was finished, Gaara grinned and said, "You taunt too much. Did anyone ever tell you that? Anyway, those are cursed seals designed by Shukaku himself. They will damage your chakra coils if you try to free yourself. Give up. Your defeat is inevitable."

Suiren physical struggled for a moment before slumping her head and called out, "Proctor, I forfeit!"

Naruto appeared and declared Gaara the victor causing Gaara to nod and disperse the seals and recollection the sand into his gourd before heading back to the competitors box with Suiren.

* * *

"Both are good, but your son was spectacular Kazekage-dono. I would recommend a promotion." Ē said getting a nod of agreement from Hiruzen and Ōnoki. Mei decided not to comment.

The Kazekage gave a non-committal nod as he watched the arena with the precision of a hawk. The other four Kage narrowed their eyes but decided to ignore his rudeness.

* * *

"Will Kamizuru Kurotsuchi and Sarutobi Konohamaru please come down to the arena?"

"Finally my turn!" Konohamaru exclaimed with excitement before turning to Kurotsuchi and stated, "Don't go easy on me. Because, if you do, then don't hold ne responsible for a humiliating defeat!"

Before Kurotsuchi could respond, Konohamaru had jumped over the barrier and as he was about to crash, a jet of flames cushioned his landing, leaving a scorched patch of earth.

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes and disappeared in a swirl of dust and reappeared in the middle of the arena in a puff of smoke.

"Are both participants ready?" Kurotsuchi and Konohamaru nodded, getting into their respective taijutsu stances and waited for the match to begin. "Then... BEGIN!"

Kurotsuchi jumped back weaving hand seals before bringing cupping her hands in front of her mouth and breathed a wave of a gray fluid as she called out, "Yōton: Sekkaigyō no Jutsu!"

Konohamaru just smirked as he raised a wall of rock to intercept the technique as he himself twisted upon his heels and drilled into the earth, disappearing from view. Kurotsuchi growled at how easily Konohamaru countered her technique and was about to charge forward when she felt the ground trembling underneath her feet. Jumping back, she was shocked to see Konohamaru burst out of the ground, intent on punching her under the jaw.

Growling in annoyance, Kurotsuchi threw a couple of shuriken at the Sarutobi heir only for the boy to punch forward releasing a wave of blue flames. The flames engulfed the shuriken and instantly turned them to molten slag and rushed forward to engulf the Iwa princess, to the horror of her teammates only to be replaced by a scorched log.

* * *

"Blue flames! Is that even possible without using high intensity katon combined with focused fūton?" Ē exclaimed in shock with Ōnoki nodding in agreement. Rasa ignored the banter in favor of analyzing the battle.

It wasn't Hiruzen who answered but Mei. The Godaime Mizukage gave an enigmatic smile and said, "I have seen quite a lot of things that I had thought impossible until I witnessed the power of Ninshu. Just keep watching Raikage-dono, Tsuchikage-dono and be amazed."

Hiruzen laughed in agreement and said, "I can do the same. After all, I would be doing a disservice to my title as 'Professor' if I didn't study the new art as well."

Ōnoki grumbled and asked, "Are you telling me that even you have trained under Uzumaki-sama?"

Hiruzen nodded with a grin and said, "Of course I did Ōnoki. Did you think I would let such an opportunity to pass? Just watch my grandson in action. He is Naruto-kun's personal apprentice. We all have high expectations for him."

The other four Kage nodded as they focused their attention back to the battle. Over the course of their conversation, Konohamaru had been countering and attacking Kurotsuchi, slowly forcing the Iwa princess towards the wall of the arena.

* * *

"Kurotsuchi is done for! She let Konohamaru dictate the pace of the battle and with his troublesome unorthodox strategies, she doesn't even realize it."

"Wow! That's quite the mouthful coming out of you Shikamaru. Is it going to rain gold?" Ino commented with a chuckle before becoming serious and said, "But I agree with you. Facing off against Konohamaru isn't easy, especially with his unpredictable behavior. Like Master, like apprentice it seems."

"Oh that has got to hurt!" Sasuke commented as Kurotsuchi was thrown into the arena wall from a well placed Combustion Bending.

* * *

Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth in pain as she shook her head to clear the daze from her collision with the arena wall. Stumbling to her feet, Kurotsuchi looked up to see Konohamaru holding a kunai to her throat.

Narrowing her eyes in anger, Kurotsuchi growled out, "Proctor, I forfeit!"

"Winner by forfeiture, Sarutobi Konohamaru!" Naruto said appearing beside the duo. Turning to Konohamaru, Naruto said with a soft tone, "Next time, don't hold back. It is disrespectful to both your Shisho and your opponent. You are here to showcase your skills."

Konohamaru nodded with a sad smile as Kurotsuchi gaped in realization that she didn't have a chance from the start. Shaking her head to rid herself of the self-loathing she felt towards her skills. Kurotsuchi bowed to Konohamaru and vanished in a swirl of dust. Konohamaru following soon after in a swirl of flames.

"Will Uzumaki Karin and Aburame Shino please come down to the arena?"

As soon as Naruto finished both candidates appeared in the middle of the arena in twin swirl of flames. Seeing that both were already in their taijutsu stances, Naruto called out, "BEGIN!"

Just as Naruto disappeared from the arena, Karin and Shino burst into motion. Unlike expected of the two, neither stayed in place. Shino jumped forward, flames swirling around his fists, intent on smacking the redhead with hia burning fists.

Karin, on the other hand, had jumped back as four golden chains of chakra erupted from her back and flew towards the surprised Shino.

* * *

The Kazekage gasped and muttered in worry, "The Kongōfūsa isn't lost!"

"I didn't expect to see it in my lifetime!" Mei commented with awe.

Ē and Ōnoki grimaced at the reminder of the past wielder of the technique. She was after all a monster in battle as well. And if they weren't mistaken, this young girl would be just as dangerous, if not more so.

* * *

"What technique is that?" Kiba exclaimed in shock as he watched Shino jump back in surprise as the four chains crashed into the very spot he was previously occupying.

"The Kongōfūsa is a special fūinjutsu used by certain members of the Uzumaki Clan. Specifically those who have a special kind of chakra capable of suppressing Bijū." Kakashi said as he watched the battle in the arena. "It isn't completed yet. Karin still has a way to go before she masters it completely."

Kiba turned to look at Karin with his jaw hanging open in shock as Kurenai asked, "What do you mean Kakashi? How can you tell that it is incomplete?"

"I have seen the completed version in action before. Karin's version is still flickering a bit signifying an unstable structure. It is supposed to be completely solid. As for how I know so much about it, Kushina-sama was a user."

Kurenai nodded in understanding as she watched with worry as Shino was forced into the defensive by four chains attacking in tandem. As Kurenai watched Shino dodge another attack, she thought she saw the glow of a seal in the cloud of dust before it vanished. As Kurenai kept watching, Zabuza suddenly spoke up.

"Clever girl. She is placing seals every time she misses. I was wondering why her aiming was suddenly so bad. She has better control of the chains that she is showing."

* * *

For the past few minutes Shino was dodging and diving out of the way of those accursed chains as he kept trying to change the pace of the battle towards his favor. Unfortunately, he was neither fast enough nor agile enough to weave through the chains and everytime he tried a ranged attack, the chains would seal the flames into themselves and then release his own flames to roast his Kikaichu.

Dodging another chain, a flash of light drew his attention to the newly formed crater and dust cloud. Narrowing his eyes behind his sunglasses, Shino focused his attention on the point of contact for the chains and the ground. Everytime single time there was a flash of light as sealing arrays appeared and vanished in a flash.

Jumping back from another attack, Shino called out, "Proctor! I forfeit. I have no way to handle this situation. Especially with the seals spread around the arena floor."

"Ah... You realized my plan. So much chakra wasted on preparing the seals as well." Karin said with a pout as Naruto reappeared and declared Karin the winner by forfeiture before saying that they would be taking a five minute break to remove the seals and smooth out the ground.

* * *

"That was an interesting match."

"Not surprising really Mei-dono. That's how an Uzumaki Battle Sealer fights. Karin-chan is a credit to her clan. Mito-sama would have been proud of her."

"She deserves a promotion. Their is no doubt about it. So does the Aburame. Both showed skills, tactics and proper mindset." Ē commented getting agreeing nods from all the othe Kage except the Kazekage.

* * *

"Will Yūki Haku and Higurashi Tenten please come down to the arena!"

Haku and Tenten shared a look before both decided to walk down the stairs instead of vaulting over the barrier or using the shunshin, taking the time to mentally prepare themselves. Over the past few months, both Kunoichi had gotten to be good friends over their mutual interest in marksmanship. It was quite unfortunate that two friends had to face off against each other in such a situation, even when they anticipated it.

"Are both candidates ready?" Haku and Tenten nodded as the former pulled out a hand full of senbon and the latter, shuriken. "BEGIN!"

Unlike expected, neither Kunoichi threw their chosen weapons, preferring to wait for the other to take the initiative. After a few minutes of tense silence, the crowd began to get irritated at the lack of action when the arms of both Kunoichi twitched.

The civilians couldn't track what happened, but the sound of multiple metallic collisions revealed the secret. Both Kunoichi had thrown their respective ranged weapons with pinpoint accuracy. That was only the prelude, for what followed seemed to be something out of a fantasy novel.

Waves of senbon and shuriken flew all over the field, scattering around the ground making for a treacherous footing. After seeing that neither was able to get the upper hand on the other, both jumped back, mindful of their footing and brought out a pair of scrolls. Throwing them into the air, Haku's scrolls flooded the whole arena with water while Tenten's rained iron sand.

* * *

"It seems that both young Kunoichi are preparing to bring out their big guns." Hiruzen commented getting inquisitive glances form the rest of his fellow Kage. Seeing the glances, Hiruzen elaborated, "As you've already realized, ninshu is becoming the staple for the new generation. Both Haku-chan and Tenten-chan are quite well versed in their respective Ninshu elements. Those scrolls are their way of always carrying their main weapons."

"Water and... Metal?" Ōnoki asked with a questioning frown.

Hiruzen nodded as he noticed the rather lackluster reaction form the Kazekage. The other three Kage narrowed their eyes at the Kazekage but the veiled Kage didn't seem to notice. Mei subtly motioned her head towards the Kazekage drawing her fellow Kage's attention as she asked, "Are you not affected by the fact that the ability to bend metal dust is no longer a secret to only your clan Kazekage-dono?"

The Kazekage narrowed his eyes and said, "As Naruto-sama once said, Ninshu and Ninjutsu are as different as are the Sky and the Earth. Their is no comparing them, especially since the sky encompasses the earth."

"A wise way to look at it I suppose young Kazekage. With the advent of Ninshu, I believe that the secrets of ninjutsu are completely useless. After all, if rumours are to be believed, young Haruno Sakura-san would easily be able to rival Roshi in full Bijū mode just by the virtue of her skills in bending lava and blood." Ōnoki said with a grimace.

"I would not doubt it, not after the massacre she did in Kiri. A massacre I personally witnessed." Mei admitted with a smile. A smile that didn't reach her eyes.

* * *

"This just keeps escalating!" Samui commented with a frown.

"Not surprising at all. Yūki-sama was trained by both Naruto-sama and Zabuza-sama. Then their is Tenten. Our Sensei is knowing for going a bit overboard. Just look at Lee, he idolizes Sensei to an unhealthy degree. Not to mention that Tenten was allowed permission to learn the Uzumaki Fūinjutsu theory and style. So—" Neji couldn't finish his sentence as a massive shockwave reached the group. Turning his attention back to the arena, he could hardly believe his eyes.

The water in the arena was churning as a massive amount of tentacles with icy tips sharpened into blades whipped about colliding with an equal number of metallic tentacles made from the iron dust emerging from the floating platform of iron dust holding Tenten up in the air.

* * *

"If I didn't know better, I would have said that both gakis are far beyond Chunin Level." Anko commented as she munched on a stick of dango.

"Ninshu is truly powerful. I wonder how powerful both will become in the future." Genma commented as he chewed on his senbon.

"Powerful enough to make us feel obsolete; that is if we weren't learning Ninshu as well. I swear that my mission success rate has increased by nearly thirty percent after I became adept in water bending."

"I will have to agree with you there Yugao. My earth bending has saved my hide quite a few times already. If I had resorted to Mokuton, I would have been in far worse situations." Tenzō said before wincing in sympathy as Tenten got lucky and was able to shave of the top layer of skin from Haku's right arm.

"Woo hoo... Now this is my kind of fight!" Anko cheered as Haku covered her injured arm in water. The water glowed for a few moments before being falling back to the pool underneath revealing unblemished alabaster skin.

"Damn, this battle just got less exciting!" Anko moaned only for Yugao to slap her behind the head in annoyance.

* * *

"Healing?" Tenten asked with a single raised eyebrow.

"Healing!" Haku nodded as she manipulated the water beneath her to carry he towards her opponent in a massive wave.

Tenten silently cursed as she brought the iron dust together around her into a compact sphere, hoping to stave off most of the damage. As the wave crashed down upon her, the sphere shuddered and Tenten could feel herself getting a little wet, but decided that it was inconvenient but inconsequential.

Haku grinned as she suddenly flash froze the water causing the previously believed to be impenetrable metal sphere to form cracks before the ice suddenly turned to steam and then flash froze again. This repeated a couple of more times before with a loud cracking sound, the sphere shattered into motes of glittering silvery-black dust leaving behind a surprised and shocked Tenten. Before the budding metal bender and weapons mistress even realized it, she was trapped in a sphere of water which quickly froze into ice with only her head free.

"Give up Tenten. I doubt you are good enough to be able to to psychically control your metal dust. Don't force my hand!"

Tenten struggled for a few moments before sighing and said, "Proctor, I forfeit!"

"Winner by forfeiture, Yūki Haku! We shall now take a five minutes break while the arena is brought back to optimal conditions!" Naruto declared as he melted the ice around Tenten before a translucent barrier formed around the three of them before he vanished both Kunoichi.

* * *

"Both showed skills to be Chunin but only the Yūki showed the mindset to be one. Don't you agree?" Mei said with a frown.

"I totally agree with with you Mei-dono!" Ē said with the Kazekage nodding in agreement.

Ōnoki grunted before stating that he wouldn't make any comments until he had seen the Yūki in action a second time though he agreed with their belief that Tenten doesn't deserve promotion yet.

"I would also like to reserve judgement for a bit longer on Haku-chan but you are right that Tenten-chan isnt fully ready for the burdens of being a Chunin Kunoichi."

"Will Hyūga Neji and Hyūga Hinata please come down to the arena!"

"Five minutes are already over?" Ē asked in surprise as he watched the two cousins from the prestigious clan walk up to the center of the arena.

* * *

Both Neji and Hinata silently stood, the former rigid and the latter relaxed, as they waited for the match to begin. When they were asked if they were ready, both nodded and stepped into their respective taijutsu stances. Neji got into the standard jūken stance while Hinata got into a heavily modified stance that she was developing to compliment her water ninshu.

"BEGIN!"

Neji rushed forward and started striking at Hinata with the tips of his index and ring finger. Hinata dodged and redirected the blows with the grace of a professional dancer before; suddenly, she coiled her arms back before letting them spring forth with the power and accuracy of a cobra.

Right before Hinata attacked, Neji felt a sudden shiver run down his spine causing him to instinctively jump back. His eyes widened in shock as Hinata's palms — shrouded in blue chakra, shaped like a lion's head — passed the very position that his torso had just occupied. From the structure of the chakra in the shroud, Neji realized that they were designed to steal chakra form the users opponent and give it to the user. A very effective technique, of he says so himself, as it would increase the potency of jūken by a great margin. Neji didn't have much more time to analyze the technique before Hinata used her flexibility to start attacking him for sides that without his Byakugan, he would have been hard pressed to match. Even then, Neji found himself unable to change the pace of the battle towards his advantage as Hinata kept attacking from seemingly random directions.

Hinata frowned as Neji kept escaping the optimal range of her Jūho: Sōshiken making her waste more chakra than she was receiving. Jumping back, Hinata let the technique dissipated as she closed her eyes and focused on the water around. The water in the ground, in the plants, floating in the air and most of all, the sheen of sweat covering both herself and Neji.

Seeing that Hinata was distracted, Neji decided to go on the offensive and charged forward in hope of at least closing some of Hinata's tenketsu before she regained cognizance. As Neji reached within five feet of Hinata, the girl smirked and opened her eyes she manipulated the water all around her to entrap the surprised Neji in a swirling ball of raging water. Hinata started waving her arms causing the water to rise into the air, churning at a rapid pace before it suddenly vanished into steam leaving an unconscious Neji behind.

"Winner by KO, Hyūga Hinata! Uchiha Sasuke receives a by to the next round!" Naruto declared as the crowd started cheering at the quick paced but adrenaline filled battle. "Than you all for attending the first round. The second round — which consists of four matches of the semifinals will take place tomorrow from 11 AM. Please feel free to to watch them as well at your leisure. Have a good day!"

* * *

"I must say Hokage-dono, those are some skilled Shinobi you have. That Hyūga girl deserves a promotion and that too to Tokubetsu Jōnin. She showed the skills and the mentality for the rank." Mei said with a proud smile. She was always proud of budding Kunoichi that showed potential and Hyūga Hinata showed it in spades.

"I don't know about Tokubetsu Jōnin but promoted she will be." Hiruzen said with a smile. Ē, Ōnoki and Rasa decided not to comment. "Now let us be off. It is getting late in the afternoon, so a late lunch is in order. If you wish, you may join me at the Golden Leaf Hotel. What do you say?"

Seeing the gentle smile on the Sandaime Hokage's face, Mei nodded with a smile while Ōnoki juts grunted his approval. Ē said that he wouldn't mind joining them and Rasa politely declined stating that he wished to spend some time with his children.

* * *

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Gokage = Five Shadows_**

 ** _Sandiame = Third_**

 ** _Yondaime = Fourth_**

 ** _Godaime = Fifth_**

 ** _Hokage = Fire Shadow_**

 ** _Tsuchikage = Earth Shadow_**

 ** _Mizukage = Water Shadow_**

 ** _Raikage = Lightning Shadow_**

 ** _Kazekage = Wind Shadow_**

 ** _Shishō = Master_**

 ** _Hiden Jutsu = Secret Technique_**

 ** _Kikaichu = Destruction Beetles_**

 ** _Tenketsu = Chakra Holes_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 ** _Bunshin no Jutsu = Clone Technique_**

 ** _Fūjin Genjutsu = Wind God Illusion_**

 ** _Kagemane no Jutsu = Shadow Imitation Technique_**

 ** _Shukaku no Tate = Shield of Shukaku_**

 ** _Suna no Yoroi = Sand Armor_**

 ** _Yōton: Sekkaigyō no Jutsu = Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique_**

 ** _Kongōfūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains_**

 ** _Shunshin = Body Flickering_**

 ** _Jūken = Gentle Fist_**

 ** _Jūho: Sōshiken = Gentle Step: Twin Lions Fist_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. I will try to post the next day of the exams soon, probably within this month.**_

 _ **SSG**_


	28. Chapter 27 - Chunnin Exam Final Day II

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

"Thoughts _/ Telepathic Speech"_

"Speech"

 _Letters / Jutsu notes_

* * *

 **Chapter 27 –** **Chunin Exams Final Day I** **I**

"Welcome Yonkage-sama!" The Manager of the Golden Leaf Hotel said as the four Kage entered Konoha's best establishment. "Shall I direct you to your usual room, Hokage-sama?"

"No, direct us to Naruto-kun's reserved room, Toshio-kun. He will be joining us soon."

Toshio nodded with a bow and bidding the four Kage to follow, walked up the flight of stairs to his right for three floors before coming to a stop in front of a pair of large ornate doors made of red lacquered wood engraved with gold. Pressing his palm on the engraved gold spiral, Toshio focused a bit of his meagre chakra into it, causing all the gold engravings to glow before a click was heard as the doors swung open on their own accord. Turning to the Yonkage, Toshio smiled and said, "Naruto-sama has had all the security seals updated so that only authorised personell would be able to activate the which includes Naruto-sama and his present heir."

"Naruto-sama doesn't do things by half, does he?" Mei asked with a smile.

"That he doesn't Mizukage-sama. Please enter and take any seat. A waiter will be with you shortly and while you wait for Naruto-sama, may I suggest sampling the legendary Myobokuzan Sake? Naruto-sama has been able to set up a small deal between us and Myobokuzan. I am told it is to die for!"

"And the strongest sake in existence. You should be careful, if you plan to partake in it, Mizukage-sama!" Sakura commented as she walked up with Naruto, Otohime, Shion and Hinata. All four were wearing simple casual kimono but the silky texture and the vibrancy of the embroidery revealed that the kimono were in fact extremely expensive. Sakura was wearing a simple pair of jeweled earrings made of gold and glowing pink crystal. Otohime and Shion had pulled up their long hair into intricate knots held in place by a bejeweled Jade comb and Jade chopsticks respectively. Hinata had pulled up her hair in a ponytail held together by a ribbon of pink perls — a gift for Otohime of doing so well against Neji.

"So the rumors are true then. Only the most hardcore of drinkers and Jinchūriki could even hope to consume more than a single saucer of Myobokuzan sake?" Ōnoki asked with interest.

Naruto nodded in agreement as he and his group greeted the four Kage before commenting, "It seems that Kurotsuchi didn't come. I was hoping to hold a conversation with her about her match."

"I am afraid not Uzumaki-dono. I would wage a guess that she feels embarrassed at her — on her mind — less than stellar performance. She was always such a hardheaded child."

"Aren't we all?" Naruto said with a grin as everyone situated themselves around the large table. The four Kage on one side with Naruto and the girls on the other.

"Toshio-san, I would like to sample some of the Myobokuzan sake, if you wouldn't mind."

"Immediately Mizukage-sama!" Toshio said as he left in a hurry. A few minutes later, a woman dressed in an expensive kimono commonly seen to be won by Royal servants walked in with a tray filled with sakazuki saucers and a bottle of Myobokuzan sake. Pouring some sake into all of the saucers, she placed them in front of the seated party before bowing and moving aside to wait for the distinguished group to order.

Taking a sip from his saucer, Hiruzen asked, "Karin-chan didn't come with you?"

"Unfortunately no. She decided to train some more with her Kongōfūsa and her ability to apply seals through them. She was a bit annoyed that Shino realized her plan and gave up. Zabuza and Tsunade-bāchan seems to have rubbed off on her. She is becoming a perfectionist with her techniques." Naruto commented only for Sakura to snicker.

Realizing that the Kage were staring at her in curiosity, she suppressed her urge to keep snickering and said by way of explanation, "Naruto is just as much a perfectionist. I think it is an Uzumaki thing as even Moka-sama seems to be like that."

Hiruzen smiled and said, "I will have to agree with you there Sakura-chan. I believe that it is really an Uzumaki thing as I had seen Mito-sama do the same thing."

After that, the room was filled with small talk as they ordered their food and waited for it to be served. After the food had arrived and the doors were sealed, Naruto suddenly turned serious as Otohime, Shion and Hinata were engulfed in puffs of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Zabuza were sitting there with frowns on their faces.

"Glad you two could join us. Now what did you wish to inform us Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked with a frown.

"Rasa is an Edo Tensei. Orochimaru has changed his plans from what we know. He may include more than the deceased three Hokage in the battle as Edo Tensei. If that happens, I would like it if you all would carry a seal for me."

All four Kage nodded as Jiraiya and Tsunade frowned deepened. Zabuza quietly sat there waiting for his orders. All four Kage nodded causing Naruto to smile and nod to Zabuza. The former master of the Kubikiribōcho nodded as he passed the four Kage a stack of seals each.

Naruto nodded towards the stacks of seals and said, "Those seals are Keiyaku Fūin combined with a kind of seal designed to steal control of other seals from the seal's master. Combined, they should free the Edo Tensei and give them their free will back giving you a major reinforcement. Even if the second half of the seal fails to perform as wanted, the first part will release the Jutsu, there by nullifying the technique. Make sure not to hesitate."

The four Kage nodded as he they pocketed their stack of seals before Jiraiya, Zabuza and Tsunade transformed back into their disguises. After that, they started just having lunch before leaving, giving off the impression that there was no secret meeting at all.

* * *

Naruto appeared in the middle of the arena and declared, "Welcome to the second day of the Chunin Exams Final in Konoha. Will Yamanaka Ino and Kazekage Gaara please come down to the arena!"

As soon as Naruto finished, Gaara appeared across from him in a Suna Shunshin while Ino floated down from the competitors box.

"Are both of you ready?" Getting nods from Ino and Gaara, Naruto declared the match to begin and disappeared.

Gaara didn't waste anytime as he sent a wave of sand tentacles at Ino who just grinned impishly and used her powerful psychic powers to rip the tentacles apart, all the while charging towards the Ichibi Jinchūriki.

Gaara was a bit surprised but retaliated by launching a wave of sand shuriken using the Suna Shuriken no Jutsu and was pleased to see that Ino was forced to roll away to dodge the wave, her not inconsiderable psychic powers helping in ripping the hundreds of sand shuriken to shreds. Nodding to himself, Gasra concluded that Ino hadn't yet developed her skills enough to handle too many objects at the same time.

Ino scowled as she kept trying to charge Gaara only to be forced to take evasive manuvires each time as the Ichibi Jinchūriki started using Jutsu that were wide reaching and too numerous for her to rip apart with her mind. Dodging another round of Suna Shuriken, Ino decided that she had, had enough.

Gaara was gathering a large amount of sand for his next jutsu when his instincts dictated that he move away. Jumping back onto a platform of rapidly retreating sand, Gaara was completely surprised when the ground he was just now standing on was ripped to shreds from some kind of invisible attack. It didn't take too long to figure out that while Ino couldn't spread her focus to a large number of objects at the same time, she could easily generate enough focus to one shot him, should he let her.

* * *

"This is going to be far more brutal that I expected." Mei commented getting a nod from her fellow Kage.

"I agree with you about that Mei-dono. The Yamanaka may not be able to spread her focus onto too many things at the same time, but it seems that her focus is quite considerable when focused on a single point or object." Ē said getting a nod from the other Kage.

"No matter what, I doubt the Yamanaka will win against a Jinchūriki as skillful as young Gaara. At least not yet." Ōnoki stated with a frown.

Hiruzen and Rasa didn't comment as they kept their focus on the battle waging below.

* * *

Kiba winced as Gaara took one of Ino's psychic bursts head on, cracks forming on his Suna no Yoroi, which quickly filled up with more sand.

"This battle is getting way out of hand. Gaara could have been badly hurt if he didn't have that defensive jutsu." Kurenai commented getting a nod from her fellow Jōnin.

"I wish that it would get more out of hand. At least then I could watch the blood flow!" Anko whined just as Ino was struck by a pillar of sand, which the young Yamanaka Heiress failed to detect until too late, sending her out of control.

"Neither seems to be holding back much..." Yugao said only for Gaara to be enveloped in a bubbling cloak of red chakra in the shape of a tanuki with a single tail. "I completely forget that he was a Jinchūriki. Ino doesn't have a chance now."

"Don't count Ino out yet. She is quite the prodigy in air bending. She may still pull out a victory." Asuma commented with pride only for Kakashi to comment, "Why are you so proud of her? She learned all of it on her own with barely any help from Naruto after learning the basics."

Asuma lowered his head in shame at the comment as the other Jōnin chuckled at the Sarutobi Heir's expense.

* * *

Ino closed her eyes and focused causing her body to be covered in a nimbus of blue glowing air causing many raised eyebrows amongst everyone in the stadium, Naruto excluded.

"What the hell is that?" Konohamaru exclaimed in shock causing Sauske to focus with his Sharingan. After a few moments, he turned off the fabled dōjutsu and said, "It seems that she is focusing all of her mental faculties on the air around her body to enhance her physical capabilities, probably her air bending as well."

"It's that even possible?" Haku commented with curiosity.

"She is doing it, so it must be!" Shikamaru said before grumbling out, "Troublesome blond just got more troublesome."

"You can blame Shishō for that!" Konohamaru stated with a cheeky grin.

Sasuke frowned in thought before commenting, "You know something, it seems that behind Naruto and Sakura, it seems that Ino has had the greatest improvement amongst our classmates. She was never this driven nor skilled in the Academy."

Shikamaru and Hinata nodded in agreement before turning back to watch the match.

* * *

"I would advise that you give up before you injure yourself," Gaara commented getting a scowl from Ino. Gaara and Shukaku could see that if Ino messed up her technique, it could lead to disastrous consequences for her body.

Without answering, Ino charged forward smashing through a statue of Shukaku — Gaara's Shukaku no Tate — with the ease of forcing through a wet rice paper wall. Seeing that his ultimate defense was next to useless against Ino's technique, he decided to believe in Shukaku and charged forward to meet the Yamanaka Heiress as glowing blue lines formed upon the cloak of bubbling red chakra.

As Gaara and Ino was about to clash, a pulse of chakra erupted from Gaara — the blue lines flashing with an elritch glow — causing a barely visible shockwave to crash into Ino, as a result, her glowing air armor suddenly vanished.

Ino could just barely widen her eyes in shock before Gaara smashed his fists, engulfed in a cloak of bubbling red chakra, into her stomach, knocking the air out of the Yamanaka Heiress' lungs and simultaneously knocking her out from the immense pain she was suddenly accosted with.

The unconscious Ino was about to crash into the arena wall when Naruto appeared and caught her in his arms as he called out, "Winner by Knock Out, Kazekage Gaara!"

As the crowd started cheering, Gaara let the cloak be absorbed back into himself just as Naruto shouted out, "Medic!"

Sakura appeared beside him in an instant and drew on the water in the air to cover Ino's body before it started to glow with a soft blue light. After a few minutes of tense silence, during which, Gaara stared at them with well concealed worry, the water stopped glowing and dissipated back into the air.

Seeing the questioning looks from Gaara and Naruto, Sakura smiled reassuringly and said, "She will be just fine. She had some minor internal bleeding around her stomach and uterus. I healed them with ease. She needs to train her taijutsu more. She needs to developed more muscles to survive such powerful blows, even with chakra reinforcement."

Naruto nodded as he handed the unconscious Ino to Sakura and nodded to Gaara to leave.

After both left, Naruto straightened up and said, "Yamanaka Ino will be just fine. Now will Nara Shikamaru and Sarutobi Konohamaru please come down to the arena!"

* * *

Konohamaru flashed the nervous Nara Heir an excited grin and jumped over the barrier. Shikamaru shook his head as he approached the barrier. Taking a deep breath, Shikamaru shouted out, "Proctor, I forfeit! My skillset is wholly unsuited to combat against Konohamaru. I feel that getting injured needlessly is foolish."

Normally, he would have just forfeited just out of laziness but this time, he had a proper reason. With the warning of war coming to Konoha, Shikamaru knew that he would need to do his part, so why put his life at jeopardy from unnecessary injuries. Besides, fighting Konohamaru would only get him sent to the infirmary with severe burns and bruises, not to mention that there was also the possibility of being electrocuted.

"Winner by forfeiture, Sarutobi Konohamaru!" Naruto declared as Konohamaru groaned in annoyance and the crowd shouted out their displeasure.

As Konohamaru walked up to the competitors box and the crowd settled down, Naruto shouted out, "Will Uzumaki Karin and Hyūga Hinata please come down to the arena!"

As soon as he finished, Karin and Hinata appeared in swirls of leaves and got into their taijutsu stances. Naruto asked if there were both ready, getting nods in return, causing him to smile and declared the battle to begin.

Naruto had barely vanished as Hinata's arms were engulfed in a thick layer of water. Opposite her, Karin had already conjured four of her chakra chains while pointing at Hinata with her palms touching at the heels, glowing with a three dimensional seal.

Hinata charged forward with her arms waving behind her leaving behind twin trails of glowing mist. Just as she was within five feet of Karin, the glowing seal pulsed golden as a ball of concentrated reddish gold light burst forth with the girl calling out, "Hadō Fūin: Kongōbaku!"

Hinata's eyes widened in shock as the blast raced towards her with incredible speed. Seeing no choice in the matter, she stopped moving forward and spurn in place as she let the water around her arms unfurl into a hundreds of tendrils of razor sharp water and ice. The tendrils flared out and engulfed the girl in a dome of tendrils which seemed to start glowing with a bluish white light. The blast of light collided with the tendrils and was ripped to pieces though some of the blast made it through — enough to singe the Hyūga Heiress.

Karin watched as Hinata easily counter her technique with surprise and awe. She didn't expect Hinata to be able to directly counter a B-Ranked Fūinjutsu, especially this new three dimensional kind that Naruto has began to develop and taught their Clan. Now that it had happened, Karin decided that she needed to be a bit more careful. While the only chakra expenditure she encured was the crafting of the seal in air out of her chakra — the seal the absorbing the ambient natural energy and recidual chakra in the air to generate the blast — she could only use it and ones of similar rank up to twenty times before her chakra levels would be seriously depleted. Using an A-Rank Fūinjutsu was even more dangerous as she only had one in her arsenal and could only use it thrice a day. Besides, it wasn't meant for use on allies. Sighing, Karin finally decided to focus on old style two dimensional seals channeled through her chains or hands against Hinata.

Nodding to herself, Karin speared forth her four chains and crashed them into the earth in the four corners of an imaginary box. The chains pulsed before seals formed on the ground and glowed. A translucent blue barrier formed around he opponent, who had just finished her spin and looked at the barrier with her Byakugan active. Analyzing the weaving of the chakra in the barrier, just like Moka-sama taught her, Hinata smirked as the water around her arms glowed golden and speared out in five directions. Each spear of glowing water seemed to pierce a random place in each of the five faces of the rectangular box like barrier. After a few moments, golden cracks appeared in the barrier before the whole thing shattered into motes of glowing blue and gold chakra.

While Hinata was taking care of the barrier, Karin had taken the chance to bombard the area around Hinata with her chains, applying manner of seals on the ground in anticipation of just such a thing. Hinata wasn't the only one Moka-sama had taught how to handle barriers. After all, her Kagura Shigan was just as good, if not better than the Byakugan in chakra sensory perception.

* * *

"This battle is turning out to be a game of strategies and deception. Don't you agree Hokage-dono?" Rasa asked with interest.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement as Ōnoki stated, "There is much more to be seen yet. I feel that both are still hiding some cards in their sleeve."

"Let us hope that they don't have any cards that will lead to the destruction of the arena. Uzumaki are known to be quite destructive when needed... And even when not needed." Mei said with a grin. Being of Uzumaki descent, she really couldn't refuse a chance to praise her ancestral clan.

"At least the girl isn't a Jinchūriki like Kushina-hime was. The possibility of large scale explosions are far less that way." Ē said with a grin directed at Hiruzen who chuckled at the reference. Kushina was know to channel explosive seals the most. At least Karin prefer to use more subtle ones.

* * *

"Oh great! This one is going to be a long drawn out battle and here I was expecting a fast paced cat fight." Kiba commented only for his elder sister to smack him behind the head.

"Keep making comments like that and I will tell Mom. You know what that means, don't you?" Hana said with a feral grin.

Kiba grumbled underneath his breath but Hana easily heard what he said as the grin widened as she commented, "That's right, Kennel Duty for a month. Isn't that fun?"

"Can we just watch the match?" Kiba complained causing Hana to nod as she turned her attention back to the match only to see Hinata weave through a literal minefield of seals, triggering the more dangerous ones with glowing tentacles of water. All the while Karin kept plying the field with more seals.

"Wish I knew how to use Fūinjutsu like that Uzumaki girl. Fūinjutsu is such an useful art but too difficult for most of us to learn and use appreciably in battle." Hana said getting nods of agreement from all the surrounding higher ranked Shinobi and Kunoichi.

Kiba nodded as he said, "I will agree with you there. I still have nightmares about those golems in the Forest of Death. They were made from seals as well. I heard that more advanced ones would be deployed around Uzu as automated defence."

"It seems that Naruto-sama is being paranoid in the defense of Uzu, not that I can blame him. Afterall, Uzu has already had a fall. She is just getting up back on her feet again. And with any fall, we all learn." A Shinobi, wearing a Jōnin vest and seems to be approaching his middle fifty's, said with a sad frown. The man was a veteran — that was clear — a veteran who had seen the fall of Uzu and remembered the Uzumaki in action.

* * *

"I must... Say Karin, your skills in fūinjutsu are quite frightening." Hinata said as she jumped back from a seal, simultaneously piercing it with a glowing strand of water, causing the seal to glow yellow and fade.

Karin grinned and stated, "And your ability to disrupt the chakra composition of seals and probably ninjutsu is just as frightening."

Hinata smiled at the complement as she launched a wave of thin yellow glowing needles of water at Karin, who swiped them away with her chains before hissing in annoyance as some of the chain-links eroded from the contact with the glowing yellow water. Jumping to the side to dodge the next set of needles, Karin charged more chakra into her chains, repairing the damaged links before sowing the area around her with more seals.

While Karin kept applying seals and repairing her chains, Hinata moved closer with each passing second, weaving through seals, deactivating them with ease — sometimes launching another wave of water needles to throw Karin off.

Seeing that her strategy was failing, Karin gritted her teeth and took out a metallic ball enscribed with seals. Channeling chakra into the ball, she threw it at Hinata. The Hyūga Heiress narrowed her eyes and swiped at the ball only for a wave of chakra to temporarily disrupt the water under her control as the ball exploded and covered the whole arena floor with smoke. Hinata frowned as her sight was impaired by the smoke, something that should have been impossible, unless — it wasn't smoke but a chakra cloud mixed with smoke.

Gathering a large amount of water towards herself, Hinata bended it to form a swirling dome of churning water around her as she waited for Karin to make her move.

* * *

"What is Karin planning? And why is Hinata suddenly on the defensive? She should be able to easily see through this thin smoke cloud." Sakura commented to herself as Otohime and Shion just sat there with watched with confusion.

"Could it be that Karin used some kind of seal with the ball?" Otohime asked with a soft frown.

"Your guess is as good as mine Hisui, but it is definitely a possibility... Of course, the smoke cloud is saturated with a chakra cloud hiding Karin from Hinata's Byakugan. Ingenious! The seal must have dispersed the stored chakra in the form of a concentrated cloud that is invisible to the naked eye. Those damn Uzumaki never take the easy way, do they?" Sakura said with a smile getting a smile and nod from Otohime and Shion. Shion may be new but she had gotten to be good friends with both Karin — who was the present Heiress and a princess of the Uzumaki — and Hinata — who would probably be her sister-wife, that is if Shion herself accepted the marriage.

"Who do you think will win Sakura-chan?" Otohime asked hoping for an unbiased opinion. Sakura had the habit of being extremely blunt when evaluating someone. Never did she embellish nor did she underrated.

Humming to herself for a moment, Sakura said, "Both are quite well matched, but I believe that Karin has the advantage. If Hinata slips up even a single moment, then it is over for her. Seals are just too dangerous and varied to take such a chance Hisui-chan."

Otohime nodded in understanding as they watched the cloud dissipate to reveal Karin holding another of her three dimensional fūinjutsu shiki in between her palms. Thrusting her palms forward as she called out, "Hadō Fūin: Raikōhō!"

A blast of compressed yellow lighting blasted out from between her palms at Hinata with a might roar, deafening many ears. Hinata's eyes widened in shock at the speed of the attack. Twisting upon her heels, Hinata conjured the barrier of yellow glowing strands of water again in hopes of striving off the technique only for a pair of hands to erupt from underneath her and catch hold of her feet causing her to trip. The last thing she saw before being engulfed in a massive electrical explosion was the smirk on the face of Karin's Kage Bunshin just as it popped from the surge of electricity.

* * *

"True blue Uzumaki style execution. Both girls deserve a promotion but Karin should be given Tokubetsu Jōnin for her mastery in fūinjutsu." Ē said getting a nod from the rest of the Gokage.

"But does she have the stamina to be a Jōnin?" Mei asked with concern.

"It will be Naruto-sama's prerogative to promote her. If he believes that she deserves it, then good for her." Ōnoki stated as the smoke cleared revealing an unconscious Hinata.

Naruto appeared and declared, "Winner by Knock Out, Uzumaki Karin. Will Uchiha Sasuke and Yūki Haku please come down to the arena!"

* * *

As the medics took away Hinata to be treated and Karin rushed off to check on the Hyūga Heiress, Sasuke and Haku appeared in the middle of the arena in swirls of flames and snow respectively.

"Are both of you ready?" Sasuke just grunted as he got into the opening stance of the Interceptor Fist while Haku pulled out a few senbon and got into a more relaxed stance. "BEGIN!"

Haku didn't waste anytime as she threw her senbon at Sasuke as she jumped back to gain more space.

Sasuke just smirked as he punched forward releasing a wave of blistering yellow flames, causing the senbon to stop in there tracks. A sudden feeling of dread filled Sasuke's mind causing him to instinctively dodge to the right causing multiple small shards of sharpened ice to shatter on the ground behind his previous position. Rolling to his feet, Sasuke focused his mind jumped. At the apex of his jump, Sasuke released a concentrated stream of fire from his feet and fists causing him to sore towards Haku.

The beautiful Yūki Clan head cursed as she was forced to roll away from the small pool of water she had unsealed; watching the pool be vaporized by the flames Sasuke released as he crashed into it. The sudden burst of steam hid the Uchiha Heir from sight for a moment before multiple shuriken flew out of the steam cloud, covered in flames.

Haku narrowed her eyes as she threw a few of her senbon at the flaming shuriken, deflecting them with ease before unsealing a very large scroll and unsealing it's contents. A massive flood of water filled the arena, rising nearly a quarter way up the arena.

* * *

"It seems that the Uchiha Heir is skilled enough to force the young Yūki to prepare for her main arsenal." Ōnoki commented getting nods from the rest of the Gokage.

"The question is: will young Sasuke be able to keep up?" Ē asked directing the question to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen shrugged as he stated with a nonchalant expression, "Who knows? His training in ninshu I know about, but unfortunately, I have no knowledge of his mastery over his activated Sharingan. From what I heard, Naruto-kun personally helped him activate and train it. Not to mention that Sasuke-kun has quite a few different ninjutsu under his belt. Some from each of Raiton, Katon and Dōton. If he uses them judicially, he may just win yet."

"He doesn't use his ninjutsu much, does he?" Rasa asked getting a nod from Hiruzen.

"But that doesn't mean that he is weak. I have seen his skills in taijutsu and ninshu." Mei commented offhandedly as she watched Sasuke launch himself towards Haku, flying on jets of flames, leaving streaks of steam where ever he passed.

* * *

"That's interesting, it seems that both Haku and Sasuke can move much faster than normal using their bending than they could using chakra reinforcement." Shino commented as he observed Haku bend the water underneath her to carry her away from Sasuke, all the while bending two thick tentacles of water to try and attack the flying Uchiha, who kept dissipating the tentacles with bursts of concentrated flames.

"That is true, but who will win? Will it be Sasuke or Haku?" Tenten asked with a frown. This match was becoming far more exciting by the moment.

"Unsure, but I believe that Sasuke has a bit of an advantage here." Sai said with his usual emotionless tone.

"Why would you say that?" Tenten asked with surprise. From her understanding, Haku had the advantage. If she was forced — like she herself did to her last round — then she would just bend the water to crash down on Sasuke. Now unless Sasuke had an impenetrable defense technique, he was done for.

"Sasuke has adequate mastery over a couple of uncommon Raiton Jutsu. I also believe that he isn't using the Sharingan yet. That is his trump card after all."

"I believe that it would be more logical to watch than speculate." Shino said as Haku froze the water underneath her feet and bended the water around her to form eight thick tentacles, waving around her in a defensive formation.

* * *

"I will have to say, you are good Sasuke. Far too good for a rookie." Haku said with a grin.

Sasuke smirked and said, "And you surpassed my expectations for you. How about we stop this game of cat and mouse and get to real battle?"

Haku's grin widened as she said with a teasing tone, "Took the words right out of my mouth Sasuke-kun!"

In a blink of an eye, water flowed all around Sasuke and froze to form multiple mirror like constructs of ice. Sasuke looked at the dome of ice mirrors with interest as Haku walked up to one of the mirrors and simple fused with it. A reflection of Haku appeared on each mirror causing Sasuke to blink in surprise before the water below him suddenly froze and erupted in spikes. Jumping hight, Sasuke tried to blast his way out of the topmost mirror only for his eyes to widen in shock.

The mirror was a bit warped from the flames, but the water quickly flowed back into place and froze again to reveal a completely unblemished mirror.

"You will need far hotter flames than that Sasuke. This is my greatest technique. It was once a ninjutsu technique — a very chakra intensive one. Now, I can create and maintain it with water bending while using my Kekkai Genkai to merge with the ice. Behold the majesty of the Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōsho!"

Sasuke stared at the mirror in front of him in shock as Haku finished her speech and image flickered. It was only the fact that he was used to sparring with Naruto that his instincts warned him of the approaching attack. With reflex born of hours of surviving painstaking beat downs, Sasuke twisted his body while activating his Sharingan.

* * *

"Damn, Haku has been holding out on us! She never revealed this technique." Suiren pouted in annoyance getting a chuckle from Zabuza.

"Don't take it the wrong way, but Haku hates using this technique. Before learning Ninshu, it was both her trump card and her last resort — especially with the massive chakra expenditure needed to keep the technique active for appreciable amounts of time. It was enough to push me to my utmost to just survive. In Fack, I believe that if you ask nicely, she will even help you develop a similar technique with your crystal."

Suiren nodded with a smile before her eyes widened in shock. Turning to her — on again, off again — Sensei, she asked, "She could push you to near defeat with it?"

Zabuza nodded with a grin, though his bandages hid it before turning back to the battle, or as he called it in his mind, massacre.

* * *

After Sasuke dodged the fifth volley of ice senbon, Haku chuckled and said, "The fabled Sharingan really do live up to its name. I didn't expect you to be able to survive so many volleys without sustaining a single injury."

"Thanks for the compliment, but you haven't even seen what the Sharingan can really do." Sasuke said with a smirk as his right arm flashed forward and caught hold of Haku's arm.

Haku's eyes widened in surprise just as a fist crashed into her stomach, causing all the air to be expelled from her lungs. Even disoriented, Haku's focus didn't falter, as the ice mirrors stayed in existence.

Jumping back from a follow-up kick, Haku got her breathing back under control and re-merged with a mirror causing Sasuke to smirk and taunt, "Hiding there won't help. You will after all have to exit to attack."

Cold laughter filled the dome as Haku said, "What makes you say that? I don't need to leave to attack." With her piece said, a rain of ice senbon flew from all the mirrors at the same time.

* * *

"Sasuke seems to have made the mistake of underestimating Haku. Quite said really — call it a remnant of my previous fangirl period — but I expected him to win." Ino commented from beside Shikamaru.

"Huh, when did you get here?"

Giving a stink eye to the Nara Heir, Ino said, "Right after the start of the match. Now just pay attention to the match you lazy idiot!"

Shikamaru just shrugged as he focused his attention back to the battle. It seemed that Sasuke was being overwhelmed to the point that even his bending was being unable to keep up with the amount of senbon flying towards him.

* * *

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. He had really wished to keep this a secret but it seems that Haku was just too good. Snapping his eyes open, the tomoe in his Sharingan blended together to form into collection of ellipses and curved black lines forming into a flower like pattern.

Haku watched as his Sharingan transformed into an unknown form right before the senbon struck him. She had made sure to target non-lethal areas, so she wasn't worried about his continued existence, but for some reason, a shiver ran down her spine.

That foreboding feeling intensified when an explosion of chakra erupted form Sasuke just as the senbon struck. She watched in shock as Sasuke was entomed in the middle of a skeletal torso with wings and a tengu mask made of violet chakra.

It was only her honed instincts that prevented her from being grievous injured as she had jumped out and away from the mirror just as a tsurugi made of the same purple chakra cleaved the lower level of mirrors in half.

Sasuke turned to Haku with the chakra construct follow his gesture. Taking a single step, Sasuke rose into the air as the torso turned into a full sized man in armor and tengu mask with a tsurugi in each hand and two wings.

"I must commend you Yūki Haku for you have pushed me to use one of my greatest techniques. Behold one of the powers bestowed by the Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan: Susanoo!"

Haku stared at the chakra construct with a dumbfounded expressions as did many other in the crowd. After a few moments, Haku shook her head and focused

Bending all the water underneath her, she tried to crash it into the Susanoo only for Sasuke to dismiss one of the swords and conjure three magatama shaped constructs of chakra which was promptly set ablaze in black flames and thrown at the massive wave of water with the call of, "Yasakani Magatama!"

* * *

"I haven't seen a Susanoo since I faced off against Madara!" Ōnoki exclaimed in shock.

The other Kage watched the battle with shock and awe as the three magatama crashed into the wall of water and exploded, vaporizing the water and most of the remaining water in the arena as well. Haku was thrown back from the shockwave and crashed into the wall of the arena, already unconscious.

Naruto appeard and after checking Haku's condition declared, "Winner by Knock Out, Uchiha Sasuke! Now tomorrow will be the finals, which will be a free-for-all amongst the four finalists. Before that, I once again remind you that a spar will occur between Kumo's A-B combo and myself with certain restrictions placed upon all of us — no need to accidentally destroy the arena and with most of Konoha!"

Many chuckles filled the arena along with excited whispers as everyone was waiting to see the spar. After all Kage level battles were generally private affairs due to them being so destructive.

"Now have a good day!" With his piece said, Naruto picked up Haku and disappeared.

"The end was a bit over the top but with a perfect Susanoo like that, I am surprised that there wasn't much more destruction." Ōnoki said getting confused looks from the three younger Kage.

Seeing the looks of confusion, Hiruzen explained, "The Susanoo is one of the secret techniques of the Uchiha. It is said and proven that a perfect Susanoo can rival and even push back Bijū. Young Sasuke is either inexperienced or was holding back severely to prevent too much damage. Either way, both deserve a promotion."

"I agree with you there Sarutobi. Now how about we adjourn for the day. I would like to soak my old bones on one of you villages famous Ōnsen."

"I agree as well Ōnoki. See you tomorrow!" With that said, Hiruzen vanished along with his two bodyguards. Soon after the other Kage bid their farewells as well and left with their own bodyguards.

* * *

 **Japanese Translations**

 ** _Yonkage = Four Shadows_**

 ** _Shishō = Master_**

 ** _Gokage = Five Shadows_**

 ** _Tsurugi = Double Edged One-handed Sword_**

 ** _Tengu = A type of crow yōkai with very long nose_**

 ** _Magatama = Comma Shaped Jewels used in Shinto culture_**

* * *

 **Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translation _s_**

 _ **Kongōfūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains**_

 _ **Keiyaku Fūin = Contract Seal**_

 _ **Suna Shuriken no Jutsu = Sand Throwing Stars Technique**_

 _ **Suna no Yoroi = Sand Armor**_

 _ **Dōjutsu = Eye Technique**_

 _ **Shukaku no Tate = Shield of Shukaku**_

 _ **Hadō Fūin: Kongōbaku = Path of Destruction Seal: Adamantine Blast**_

 _ **Hadō Fūin: Raikōhō = Path of Destruction Seal: Roaring Thunder Cannon**_

 _ **Raiton = Lightning Release**_

 _ **Katon = Fire Release**_

 _ **Dōton = Earth Release**_

 _ **Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō = Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals**_

 _ **Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan = Eternal Kaleidoscopic Copy Wheel Eye**_

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. It is a bit short at only 6.5k but I hope that it is enough. I will try and Finish the next chapter as soon as possible.**_

 _ **Also, I read a review that needs to be answered. Many don't know this but Gaara's clan name is Kazekage not Sabaku — which is a title he gained for his use of sand techniques.**_

 _ **Please remember to review.**_

 _ **SSG**_


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